


Golden Leaves

by mrtonguetwister



Series: The Forty-Four: Umbrella Academy [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:53:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 87,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28394187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrtonguetwister/pseuds/mrtonguetwister
Summary: "Lucky Clover my ass."~~~In order to escape the apocalypse in 2019, Five Hargreeves transported his entire family and his best friend back in time. All of them were scattered across three years in Dallas, Texas in the early 1960s.Clove Thindrel just came back from the brink of death and it seems like she might be back again. With her newfound family scattered across time, an apocalypse on the horizon, and an assassin duo that won't leave her alone; it seems like she's right back where she started from. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, somehow, they always do.~~~The Forty-Four: Book Two
Series: The Forty-Four: Umbrella Academy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079528
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	1. What The Hell Is This?!

November 25, 1963

All good stories begin with the end of the world.

I have been through enough apocalypses in my life to know when I was in another. As we fought for our lives as well as the lives of the innocent civilians, I began to wonder if we were right back again. After all we had been through, everything we had done, it was all for nothing at all. Somehow, we always made it back here, the apocalypse liked us too much to let us go.

Humanity had been theorizing how the world would end for generations. Hundreds of years worth of ancient literature points to how the world will end. Some say in fire, some say in ice, some say a plague will take out all of humankind, others say the child of the Devil themself will rise and take us all out. Perhaps one of the most popular theories, one that came to light at the turn of the Twentieth Century, was war.

Humans loved war, it was in their genes. Each war was more gruesome than the last. After you've invented the atomic bomb, where else is there to go besides barreling towards the end?

That is exactly where we found ourselves, in the end once again. I thought we had fifty years, but, it turns out, we didn't have any time left at all. My eyes had been glued to the moon for so long, I forgot to turn them towards humanity every once in a while.

I always thought I was lucky, but who else can say they've been in three separate apocalypses in their life? Perhaps I wasn't The Lucky Clover I thought I was. As I fought for my life, I began to believe I never was in the first place.

It was a quiet Dallas street before the war began. Once, the street was full of life. Every business thrived, the people smiled, and the sun always shone. It was The American Dream even before it became a warzone.

Now, it was a miracle any of the buildings were left standing. After all the bombs that had gone off, most of which came from Vanya, I expected them to come tumbling down. Debris littered the once clean streets providing shelter for shooters and shields for chargers. On one side charged the Americans, on the other, the Russians. All fighting for the same reason though they didn't know it.

"Get down!" one of the American soldiers shouted.

I jumped off the roof and landed just as another bomb went off. Water splashed beneath my feet, and hovered in the air for just a moment as it was attracted to the energy swirling around my hands and covering my body from head to toe. Armor made out of flickering blue energy morphed to fit my body, fitting into every nook and cranny like I was born to wear it. Shields as small as bowling balls completely covered my hands as I crouched. Flinging my head up, I glared at the oncoming Russian soldiers from under my bangs. The cold-blooded killer left behind long ago came back as I sent my shields flying towards the soldiers. They barreled over like bowling pins, they're guns still shooting anything they could possibly see.

The bullets they shot would be the exact ones that killed them. Using a well-placed shield, I ricocheted the bullets straight towards them. They soared right between each soldier's eyes, making them all collapse to the ground, lifeless.

"Bullseye," I muttered, glancing up as a flash of white light caught my eye.

One of the Russian tanks exploded, sending a bomb that would have surely killed us soaring through the air. White light flashed as Vanya rose from the ashes of civilization. Her skin was more star than human, glowing a brilliant white with energy I couldn't even begin to comprehend. Even from that distance, I could see her eyes glowing bright blue and threatening to explode at any moment. The wind whipped her clothes and hair like she was a divine being rising from purgatory.

Stretching out her hands, Vanya stopped the bomb mid-air. It crumpled in on itself and exploded in a disappointing little poof. She flung her hand out and sent more energy soaring towards the enemy.

"Clove! Look out!"

I spun around just in time to see Allison grab my arm and pull me towards her. Raising her hands, she made eye contact with the six soldiers barreling toward both of us, "I heard a rumor that I blew your minds."

All at once, the soldiers stopped, overcome by some unseen force I would hate to be on the receiving end of. Their eyes turned ghostly pale as Allison's words possessed them. Without anything having to touch them, their heads exploded and they hit the dirt like discarded Barbie dolls.

"Thanks, Allison," I spun around to her back and knocked out more soldiers with a shield.

She gave me a small nod before hurrying off to keep fighting. I spun around and jumped back into battle, using shields right and left to leave a trail of soldier bodies following me.

I never thought we'd be here, none of us ever did. Fighting in a war for life, liberty, and country, it was unbelievable. Never once did I ever think I would be using my powers to defend a country I didn't even belong to, and I never thought I would be using my powers so openly. That any of us would be using our powers so openly. In 2019, perhaps, but not in 1963. Not when we technically shouldn't exist.

Yet, there we were, fighting for our lives as well as the lives of others. We were super soldiers shoved onto the frontlines before we even had a chance to choose. It didn't seem like that long ago that we were all living our own individual, happy lives in the Sixties. We had made lives, some of us made families and friends. Now, our lives were gone and most everyone we knew was dead. We fought without holding back because we had nothing left to loose, and that was more dangerous than any bombs they could fire at us. 

I lunged over an upside down car and landed just in time to knock several soldiers down with a shield. Behind them, Klaus had his hands raised as he was deeply focused. Blue light shimmered behind him, quickly materializing into long dead soldiers. They charged, screaming voiceless screams through lungs that no longer existed. Their faces were decaying and the voids they had for eyes spoke of war horrors long gone.

Nearby, a soldier loaded up a bazooka and aimed it at Klaus. Luther came flying through the sky screaming, landing just in time to take the entire bazooka straight into his ape-back. No matter how many times I saw it, I could never understand how Luther barely even flinched. He was just hit with one of the strongest handheld weapons in military history, and he kept going like nothing had happened.

I would never cease to be astonished by The Hargreeves. Not only were their powers incredible, but they were as well. As people, as individuals, and as a team. Just watching them fight the Russians, let alone fighting alongside of them, was awe-inspiring.

I dodged several soldiers just as Ben lifted them into the sky and threw them for miles. His tentacles were flying all over the place, moving with the same ghostly blue hue Klaus created. I gave him a mock-salute before diving over yet another car and tackling several soldiers.

A few knives implanted themselves in the soldiers as I took off their heads with my shields. Using one hand to smother several more with smaller shields, I spun around and glared, "I had that, Diego."

"You're welcome, Clove!" he threw more knives as he flipped directly over my head.

"I didn't say thank you!"

I watched as he easily jumped on top of a nearby overturned car, "Will you stop arguing and start fighting?"

"What the Hell do you think I've been doing?!"

I spun around just in time to knock several more soldiers over with my shields. They tumbled head over heels, effectively shooting each other in the process. The few stray bullets that did miss their marks got ricocheted off my shields and implanted in a soldier's head.

Gunshots started echoing from Diego's car. I quickly flung up a shield just in time to block the few stray bullets he didn't make hit the soldiers that shot them. More soldiers started attacking me and I had to quickly drop my shield to deal with them.

"Five, you sick son of a bitch, where the hell have you been!" Diego's voice caught my ears even over the sounds of war.

Knocking the last few soldiers over with a shield, I spun around, "Five?"

Without hesitation, I rushed to the nearby car and vaulted over it. There, still in his bowling shoes from 2019, was Five. He watched his siblings fight with wide eyes and a wide open stance. To my surprise, he didn't look any different than when I last saw him so long ago.

Tears came to my eyes as I clamored over the car. After so long, it felt almost impossible that I was looking at my best friend, but there he was. Jumping off the car, I landed in a crouch and shouted, "Five!"

"Clove?" he spun around just in time to catch my hug.

I practically barreled into him. He stumbled slightly, catching himself just in time to keep both of us from falling over. I felt him wrap his arms around me as I squeezed him like it was the first and last time. Tears poured from my eyes, "I thought you were dead."

"What?" he looked me in the eyes when we pulled apart, "Clove, I just saw you!"

"No, Five, listen, we-"

We were interrupted by the tank shooting another missile. It nearly hit us, but someone grabbed Five's arm and pulled us both out of the way. I just barely managed to sturdy myself and glance up as Five shouted, "Hazel! What the hell are you doing here?"

Hazel was much older than the last time I saw him. His suitingly colored hazel hair had gone completely white to where he looked more like Santa Klaus than the Hazel I knew so long ago. In his hand was a briefcase, one from the Commission. It seemed like so long since I saw one, I almost forgot what it looks like.

"No time," he gestured towards the nearby city, "See that? Those are nukes, Old Timer. If you want to live, you need to come with me."

Cutting through the clouds hanging above the now-empty city were large bombs barreling towards the ground. They came at lightning speeds to where not even Vanya could stop them in time. I lost count of how many there were but, if Hazel was right, the apocalypse was coming from the sky once again.

"What about my family?" Five gripped my arm tightly.

Hazel shook his head, "You can't help them if you're dead."

"No," Five turned to me, "Clove-"

"Five, you have to go," I gripped his shoulders and offered him a smile, though I'm sure he could see all the broken pieces in my eyes.

"I don't want to leave you."

He gripped my arms tightly, his eyes shaking from tears I knew he refused to shed. I moved to squeeze his hands, "I'm already there, Five."

"We gotta go, Old Timer."

"I'll see you on the other side," I squeezed his hands once more before letting go, "You can find me- find all of us and we can stop this together."

Five gazed at me for just a minute longer before setting his jaw and turning to Hazel. I watched as my best friend took Hazel's hand and vanished, leaving me alone once again. The world shook with the force of the approaching nuclear bombs.

All of us moved forward at once, convening right in front of a now-dormant tank. Allison, Vanya, Klaus, Luther, Diego, and I all stared up at the sky together as the bombs finally made it to the tops of the buildings. The world shook as a mushroom cloud exploded out of downtown Dallas.

Watching what was now my third apocalypse in what felt like just as many lifetimes, I muttered my last words, "Lucky Clover my ass."

The mushroom cloud enveloped all of Dallas, plunging the world into a nuclear winter.


	2. What The Hell Is That?

January 3, 1963

The last thing I remember was an explosion. It was the exact same explosion I had heard once before, the loud boom that turned the sky black and orange, ending the world as we knew it. The world had ended, we had failed, and our last chance came when Five opened the portal and took us all back in time. 

This time jump was much different than the last. Last time we jumped, I could feel Five was there enough to keep a tight grip on him. We weren't separated because I held tightly to him the entire time we jumped through the portal. This time, the moment we entered the time vortex was the moment I lost Five and Klaus.

They had been holding my hands one minute and, the next, they were just gone. It didn't feel like their hands had been ripped from mine. It was just like they had never been there at all, or that they had suddenly disintegrated in my hands. As I felt the pull in my chest increasing to the point where it felt like my entire body was being ripped apart cell by cell, I didn't have time to recognize that my hands suddenly became empty. The only time I recognized it was when I finally exited the portal.

Somehow, Five's portals always dropped us in mid-air. I heard a loud pop, but I wasn't sure if it was from the portal or inside my ears. The blue lights overtaking my vision suddenly vanished and I had a momentary feeling of weightlessness. Blue suddenly became black as darkness covered my vision. I plummeted toward the ground, crashing into a puddle and hearing even more cracks radiate from my already broken body.

My entire body felt like it was working into overdrive. The very act of surviving had become too much, and my body threatened to give out under the weight of it. As I tumbled head over feet, splashing in a puddle and feeling the water seep into my clothes, I was sure all of my other bones had broken.

I landed on my stomach and managed to push myself up just in time to see the swirling mass of blue energy dissipate. It was gone just as quickly as it arrived, leaving me all alone in an alley from nowhere.

Fire blazed through my body, entering through my lungs and soaring out to all ends. It turned icy cold in places where I was injured, making my body ache and throb like I was one big broken bone. Stars danced across my already blurry vision, making it even more difficult to see. I felt like I should have already been dead and it was just dumb luck I made it this far.

Groaning and wincing, I pushed myself up onto my elbows and glanced up where the portal once was. I expected it to reappear and drop someone else. As I watched in desperation, the portal never returned.

"Five?!" my voice was hoarse and I had a difficult time making it go above a whisper, "Klaus?! Diego?!"

There was no response. It seemed like I was not only alone in the alleyway, but alone in the world. My heart began to speed up, giving me just the adrenaline I needed to pull myself to my feet. Not even the adrenaline could blur the pain as rockets were sent flying through my nerves, nearly making me double-over in pain.

"Five?!" my voice cracked as I stumbled forward, "Allison! Vanya! Five!?"

I wrapped my arms around myself and glanced around furiously. There wasn't another soul in sight, what was worse, there wasn't a single Hargreeves. It became apparent that I was the only one left.

"No, no please," cries threatened to rock my body, "Please, I don't want to be alone. Not again."

I wasn't sure if I was the only one who made it to this time, or the only one who made it out at all. Five had never taken that many people through the timeline before, and while I had full faith in him, it was still new and difficult. The rest of our little team could be scattered across all of time and space, or worse, they could all be dead.

I couldn't believe I was the lone survivor. If fate were to pick and choose who survived, it wouldn't be me. I had done terrible things in my life, I couldn't believe fate would pick me. The others, they were heroes, whether they believed it too little or too much, they were heroes. I was just an orphan from Quebec who happened to pick up the right briefcase at the right time, fate couldn't pick me. The Umbrella Academy were the heroes, not me. They deserved to survive, not me.

Tears hung in the corners of my eyes as I spun around. The alley was small and deserted, the only thing occupying it besides me was a very full dumpster. Old advertisements had faded from the brick walls surrounding me, leaving nothing but old paint and a few fading words. There was only one way out where the alley opened onto the street. Stumbling forward, I tripped and fell off the curb and into the street.

The very first thing I noticed was how the street looked like it came from a postcard. Small shops and restaurants all lined up on a quaint little street, it looked just like Main Street U.S.A. The picture perfect postcard most people would call antiques.

It didn't take much to guess I was in the past. When in the past, I didn't know, but my guess was somewhere after the 1920s and before the 1970s. It was too modern to be from the early 1900s, but too antique to be from the 1970s on. I could still feel the American Dream, Carpe Diem, Manifest Destiny stretching down through the street. It was a modern suburbia, and that is exactly what the residents wanted. This was from when the people were still enchanted with the suburban dream. Where I come from, they lost their enchantment a very long time ago. 

I crashed into yet another puddle, rolling back into the curb and curling into myself. My bones cracked as I moved, my head pounding so hard I was terrified it would explode. The apocalypse takes a toll on the body, especially when I already had broken ribs and a concussion. All of the shields I made to contain Vanya had taken everything out of me. Deep down, I didn't think I was the lone survivor, I thought I was just the last one to die. Had it not been for one bookkeeper, that would have been the case. 

"Oh my!" a small voice called.

I heard something hit the ground as shoes slapped the pavement going towards me. The voice was small and quaint with a thick southern accent that sounded much like a Southern Belle. I opened my eyes just enough to see a woman crouch next to me.

Even through my foggy vision, I could recognize the woman. I don't know how, but I knew her, even if only distantly. Perhaps I knew her from a dream, or a dream of a dream.

Her makeup was smudged on her cheeks, just in front of her ears but far enough away not to get in her eyes. Her lipstick had all but washed off, though she didn't need it, her lips were pink enough naturally. Green eyes sparkled as they looked down at me, glancing from my face to my injuries with a motherlike compassion. I vaguely realized her sweater was almost identical to mine, except hers was dark green and much thicker. She crouched ever so daintily and her skirt fell in a perfect curtain around her legs. Dropping her purse next to my head, she leaned over me, "Oh dear, are you hurt?"

"Do I know you?" my voice sounded distant and not quite my own.

"Oh, dearie, you're very hurt," she glanced around before turning back to me, "We have to get you to a hospital."

In the back of my mind, I knew that was a terrible idea. It was a bad idea for a kid with powers to go to the hospital in general, let alone a kid with powers outside of their own time. If they didn't throw me into foster care, they'd try to exorcise me or throw me in the nuthouse. Most likely, The Handler would find me and end me before they even had the chance. I couldn't go to the hospital, I had to remain out of sight.

"No," I rolled over, pain soaring through my body, "No hospitals."

"Dear, you're going to hurt yourself more!"

My vision was going in and out, at any moment, I knew I would pass out. I was awake just long enough to feel the woman gently grab my shoulder. As soon as she touched me, my instincts went into high gear. Her fingertips had barely brushed against me when I started to convulse. My chest shot into the air and, adding insult to injury, a shield sprung up around us.

The woman screamed and fell back, but her voice couldn't be heard outside of the shield. She scooted back only to be trapped by the flickering energy surrounding us. I could feel my body decaying as my vision started going darker.

The woman glanced at me just in time to see me pass out.

***

The very first thing I registered was that I was lying on something soft. It enveloped me like a cloud, and I would have been perfectly content falling right back asleep. As my body woke up a little bit more, alarm bells started going off in my head. I realized I should not be on something soft when I had collapsed on a paved road just moments ago.

Warmth surrounded me, the very air seemed to be filled with warmth. It was two different kinds of warmth, one from a heater and one from life. You could only get biological warmth when someone truly and genuinely kind was nearby. Despite feeling warm, my instincts went into high gear and I suddenly became very suspicious.

My eyes flung open and I started straight at a pastel pink wall. Flowers and paintings of flowers decorated the walls, some vines were even climbing up one of the corners from a light blue pot. I could feel a fan blowing down on me and smell a vanilla candle burning nearby.

A thick comforter was pulled all the way to my chin. It was soft on the bottom and thick on the top, providing ultimate warmth and comfort. One of my ears was pressed into the feather pillow, but with the other, I could hear someone humming. Goosebumps appeared all over my body as I tried to assess my situation.

The events of the night before were blurry, I only knew time had passed from the sunlight streaming in through a nearby window. The rays were interrupted by lace curtains, but the sunlight still came in enough to land on me and the piles of books littering the room. I heard someone move along with footsteps.

After everything I had been through, I instantly assumed the worst. I suspected the Commission had found me and taken me hostage, that was the only logical solution. My instincts had gone into high gear and were much too loud for logic to take hold. The Commission wouldn't take me hostage. After all I had done, after blowing up their headquarters, breaking a contract, nearly killing The Handler, and trying to manipulate the timeline, they would kill me on the spot. The last thing they would do is take me hostage, but that was the only solution my panicking brain could come up with. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to attack.

I lunged up onto my knees, ignoring the flaring pain radiating from every part of my body. Bandages covered my head and my chest, someone had taken care of my injuries, something which should have comforted me but only made me all the more suspicious. As soon as I was up, I had my hands flung out and ready to fight.

The woman from the night before stood at a nearby desk with two cups of tea. As soon as I jumped up, she screamed and nearly dropped the tea. She stumbled backwards, falling into the wall and grasping for her curtains. She flung up her hands to protect her face, "It's okay! It's okay, you're safe!"

"Where am I?" I demanded, doing my best to conceal the immense pain threatening to take me down.

"I-in my home," the woman's voice shook as she answered.

"Who are you?"

"E-Evelyn," she met my eyes, "Evelyn Noble."

I frowned, "Do you work for The Commission? Did she send you after me?"

"What? No, I-I don't know what you're talking about," trembling, she pushed herself off the wall and kept her hands up, "I-I found you. You-you were injured and d-dying."

I glanced down at the bandages wrapping my chest before looking up at her, "Did you do this?"

"Yes-yes!" she winced slightly when I moved, "I-I used to be a nurse."

I frowned, "Why?"

"What?"

"Why did you bring me here?" I demanded, "What are you up to?"

Evelyn glanced up at me and swallowed hard, "You-you were dying, I couldn't leave you behind. You wouldn't let me take you to a hospital, so I brought you here."

"And you're sure you don't work for The Commission?"

"No I-I don't even know what that is," she kept her hands raised, "I'm-I'm just a bookkeeper."

I stared at her for a moment longer. My instincts were still in high-gear, but slowly, they began to tone down. There was no way she was a Commission assassin sent to kill me. If she wanted me dead, I would already be dead.

"This might come to bite me in the ass, but I'll trust you," against my better judgment I let my guard down, "It looks like I don't have much of a choice."

I let my hands drop to my sides and the rest of me was quick to follow. I fell backwards onto the bed, resting my back against the headboard and releasing a deep sigh. Evelyn still stared at me with wide eyes and shaking hands. Looking her up and down, I frowned, "I'm sorry if I frightened you, I thought you were going to kill me."

"Why would I bring you here and bandage your wounds if I was going to kill you?" Evelyn whispered.

"It wouldn't be the first time," I pulled my knees to my chest and braced my head between them, "And it probably wouldn't be the last."

"Who-who are you?"

"Clove," I glanced up at her.

"Well, Clove," she grabbed the two cups of tea and moved to hand me one, "Here, drink this, it'll make you feel better."

"Why are you helping me?" I gently took the tea cup from her and sipped.

She was right, the tea did make me feel better. It warmed me from the inside out and allowed me to release all the tension left in my body. I slumped on the headboard and smiled slightly.

"I couldn't just leave you to die," Evelyn sipped her tea as well, "Especially not after something remarkable like what you did."

"What do you mean?"

Evelyn sipped her tea and gave me a sly smile over her pink teacup, "I was out on my evening stroll, having just come back from visiting one of my dearest friends, when I hear something that sounds quite like a tornado. In the alley right where I had just come from, a bright blue light appeared and you fell straight out of the sky."

"Oh, uh, you saw that," I winced slightly.

"I saw much more than that," Evelyn smiled at me, "You called for four people and, a number?"

"Five," I muttered.

"Yes, Five, you called for Five a lot," Evelyn tilted her head, "I came to help you when you collapsed in the street, only to become trapped in a force field."

I glanced up at her, my cheeks slowly going red. She sipped her tea innocently, all while giving me an equally innocent smile, "I carried you all the way here, and your force field came with us."

I didn't know what to say. Hiding my face behind my tea cup, I began to panic that she'd ship me off somewhere I couldn't get out of. To my surprise, Evelyn kept sipping her tea like this was just another day, "So, what are you? An alien? A government experiment?"

"No, no," I laughed, "No, I'm just a human."

Evelyn pulled a chair over and leaned back, "A very extraordinary human."

"Evelyn, you have no idea," I chuckled and shook my head, "Out of everyone I know, I'd say I'm the least extraordinary one."

"I find that hard to believe, considering you dropped from a portal in the sky and created a force field while you were unconscious."

"The portal, that wasn't me, that was my best friend," I took a sip of my tea, "He's the extraordinary one."

Evelyn tilted her head, "Where is he now?"

I paused. My mind went to all the darkest places, from Five getting stuck back in the apocalypse all by himself to dying on the trip here. I tried to banish all the dark thoughts as I glanced up at Evelyn, "I-I don't know. The last thing I remember is vanishing into the portal, and then they were all gone."

"Gone where?"

"I don't know," I had to hold my tea with both shaky hands to keep from spilling it everywhere, "But, I know I need to find them."

If there was a chance they were dropped in a time anywhere near this, I would find them. If they weren't dead, they were just as alone and scared as I was, and I couldn't leave them like that.

"I want to help," Evelyn suddenly leaned forward.

I flung my head up to glance at her, "What?"

"I want to help you find them- whoever they are."

"Evelyn, I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into," I chuckled.

"Please, I've read enough books to know an adventure when I see one," Evelyn beamed at me, "And I want in."

Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, oddly, that made me enthusiastic too. I leaned forward and smiled, "It could be dangerous."

"All good adventures are."

"It'll be unlike anything you've ever seen before."

"I'm counting on it."

Part of me didn't want to let her help, there was no doubt in my mind this was going to be tough. Not only in finding the Hargreeves, but in avoiding the Commission. They would no doubt track us down through Five's time travel and try to stop us before we could mess up the timeline. Just us being here- whenever we were- was messing up the timeline as is.

"Alright, then we better get working," I swung my legs out and attempted to stand, "We've got six people who could potentially be scattered around the time continuum, and we've got to find them before they do anything stupid."

Evelyn rocketed to her feet, "I'm sorry- time continuum?"

"What's the date?" I completely ignored her bafflement.

She hesitated, "January Twenty-Fourth."

"What year?"

"Nineteen Sixty-Three."

I hesitated, leaning on the wall for support. Blinking, I muttered, "Shit, Five took us back."

It just so happens that 1963 was the exact year Five and I jumped to 2019 from. It was the last place we had gone with Five's time travel, or, came from. He must have just pulled a reverse and sent us flying back to the first place he could think of; 1963, the year we almost killed President Kennedy.

"Took you back where?" Evelyn jumped forward to catch me as I nearly fell, "You need to rest."

She helped me back on the bed as I huffed, "I don't have time for rest."

"Clove, you were in a coma for three weeks and you just woke up," Evelyn placed her fists on her hips like a stern mother, "You need to rest."

I hesitated, "Three weeks? I was unconscious for three weeks?"

"Three weeks almost to the hour."

"Shit," I tried to stand up again, only to have Evelyn push me back down gently, "I've already wasted enough time as is, Evelyn!"

"Time spent healing is not time wasted at all," Evelyn chided me.

I crossed my arms, "I have to find them, they need my help."

"You can't find your friends if you pass out again."

Glancing up at her, I frowned, "That's exactly what Five would say."

"Would you listen to him?"

"Regrettably, yes."

Evelyn smiled as I climbed back into bed. Placing her fists on her hip, she glanced down at me, "Now what's this about going back?"

"Five, he brought us back to nineteen sixty-three," I muttered, "Which is ironic because just eight days before, we went from nineteen sixty-three to two-thousand nineteen."

Evelyn hesitated for a moment before gasping, "You're from the future?!"

"Doesn't quite fit with your alien theory, now does it?"

Evelyn fell back in her seat and gaped, "How?"

"Five brought us back," I glanced around the room, drumming my fingers on my knee, "It's his superpower. Say, do you have anything to write on?"

"Superpower?"

"Yeah, we all have superpowers, Five just so happens to be the ability to travel through time and space," I turned to face Evelyn, "Do you have anything to write on?"

Evelyn blinked, "I have a chalkboard in the hall."

"Would you bring it in? I've got a lot of thoughts that need organizing."

Evelyn nodded, still in a bit of a daze. Stumbling, she hurried out in the hall while I waited on the bed. She dragged in a chalkboard on an old wooden roller. It was your standard classroom size, with chalk just waiting at the bottom. I pulled myself off the bed just as she stopped rolling it. Grabbing a nearby chair, I sat it so I could perfectly reach the chalkboard while still sitting and resting just as Evelyn wished me to.

"Why did he bring you back to nineteen sixty-three?" Evelyn fell to sit in her chair as I picked up the piece of chalk.

"To escape the apocalypse," I tapped my chin.

"The apocalypse?"

"Yes, the apocalypse."

"As in, the end of times?" Evelyn gasped, "The rapture? The end of the world?"

I glanced over my shoulder at her, "I wouldn't quite say it was a rapture, but yes, the end of the world."

"H-How does it happen?" Evelyn's voice shook.

"With any luck, we can find Vanya before it can happen," I drew a line down the board, "We have to find all of them before they do something to mess up the timeline. Time is a finicky thing, Evelyn, one mistake and the entire thing explodes."

I began to write the names of all my missing friends on the board. Using the same order as their numbers, I went down the board, leaving room for notes on the side. If I was going to find them, I had to guess where they would be. It would be difficult when I only really knew them for eight days, and through Five's stories.

"Who-who do we have to find?" Evelyn whispered.

"The Hargreeves," I tapped my chin with the chalk, "If they're scattered throughout time, some of them might not have landed yet. But, if they have landed, I'll find them."

"Are they the friends you need to find?" Evelyn muttered.

"This is about more than finding friends," I hesitated, wrapping my arms around myself like a hug, "This is about finding family."

It felt right to call them my family, all of them. Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, and Vanya had become just as much my family as Five did in just the little bit of time we knew each other. In a way, I think they always had been, even before we ever formally met. I spent so long dreaming about being their family that I forgot I ever wasn't. They were my family, I could feel it in my heart that they were, and I needed to find them. All of them.

Evelyn was silent. Reaching up, I began to write, "First we have Luther. Super strength, super durability, half ape."

"Half ape?" Evelyn gasped.

"Just the top half, he thinks he can hide it with excessive layers, but that just makes him more suspicious," I shrugged, "He likes two things; the moon and Allison."

"Who's Allison?"

"We'll get to her in a minute," I scribbled on the board, "Most likely, he's off moping somewhere about being stuck on the moon for four years."

Evelyn gasped, "He went to the moon? How is that even possible?"

"Right, the past, I keep forgetting," I rubbed my temples, "America gets to the moon in six years, yada yada-"

"Amazing," Evelyn whisper

"-we've got more pressing matters to attend too. My guess is that Luther tried to find Allison, failed, got really drunk and got himself lost. Most likely he's either punching something or crying in a ditch somewhere"

I glanced at my notes for Luther and frowned. It was hard to predict where on Earth any of them could be. If they all thought everybody else was dead, just as I feared, they might have gone off and tried to make the best of the situation.

"Next is Diego, he throws knives," I frowned, "Most likely, he got himself arrested trying to be the hero."

Evelyn tilted her head, "For throwing knives?"

"His hero complex is bigger than his ego, and that is difficult to beat. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in jail or a mental hospital somewhere."

Diego, I figured, would be the easiest to find. His hero complex was raging when we left 2019, I was sure it was even stronger now. The timeline was so easy to corrupt, I had to find him before he did something drastic like try to stop the Vietnam War.

"Allison couldn't speak when we left," I glanced up at her name, "That means she can't rumor anybody."

"Rumor someone?" Evelyn asked.

"Allison can make any lie a reality just by saying 'I heard a rumor'," I tugged at my hair, "Knowing her, she probably tried to settle down and have a life here. I'm sure we'll find her blending in with the crowd."

Allison would be a lot more difficult to find. Even when she made herself famous, she tried to have a life out from under the umbrellas. She didn't believe herself to be a hero or villain, just a person. If she truly did try to be just another woman living in 1963, she would be incredibly difficult to find.

"Klaus is the most unpredictable," I turned to Evelyn, "He just recently got sober, but thinking his entire family dead could possibly send him back. He could be wherever the drugs are, or he could be doing something even more outlandish."

Evelyn frowned, "There's a hippie commune just outside of town that does a lot of LSD?"

"We'll look there first."

I turned back to the board and scribbled all this down. Moving onto the next name, I hesitated, "Five."

He was the one I most wanted to find. Finding all of the Hargreeves was important, but finding Five was our only way to get out of here before we messed up the timeline. Most of all, I missed my best friend, and there's nothing I wouldn't give to figure this all out with him. We had been a team for so long, it felt almost unnatural to be separated.

I was absolutely terrified the trip had killed him. He took more people through time than he ever had before, that had to take a toll on his body. If he wasn't dropped somewhere random, he could already be dead. Fears clouded my mind and I knew the only way to banish them was to see him.

"Five wouldn't stop searching," I finally brought myself to speak, "He would look for his family and for me until he found us. He spent too long trying to save them, he wouldn't stop now. He'll find us."

Evelyn stepped forward. Sensing my pain, she rested a hand on my shoulder and smiled, "He will find you all, I know it."

"Only if I don't find him first," I laughed, "Ben is wherever Klaus is, he's a ghost and only exists in this realm because of Klaus."

Evelyn blinked, "There's a ghost?"

"Oh, yeah, did I forget to mention Klaus can summon the dead?"

Evelyn fell back in her chair and muttered, "What an adventure."

"I told you," I smirked at her, "Last but not least is Vanya. She can create energy out of sound waves strong enough to cause the end of the world. Last I saw her, she was finishing up her apocalypse suite."

"Apocalypse suite?" Evelyn whispered.

"Her violin concert, the one she used to destroy the world," I frowned, "We have to find her before she gets a chance."

Evelyn stood up and moved to stare at the chalkboard with me. It was covered in notes about each sibling, but nothing that would help us find them. We didn't have a single lead and, with all of time and space held suspect, it would be practically impossible to find them. Luckily, I had spent my entire life doing the impossible.


	3. Why The Hell Am I Here?

November 11, 1963

Ten months, that's how long it took me to finally heal. For nearly ten months I was out of commission. If it wasn't the broken ribs, it was the head trauma. If it wasn't the head trauma, it was the fact that my body had literally started eating itself. Evelyn said, had I done just a little bit more, thrown up one more shield, I would have died. My blood already became poisoned and there was not a single bone in my body that wasn't broken. Evelyn constantly told me what a miracle it was I was even alive, I told her it was mostly out of spite.

As the air finally got cold enough to wear a sweater, I was able to move around on my own. I didn't feel quite back to normal, but I no longer needed crutches or needed to sit every so often. My head no longer spun whenever I stood up, and I didn't run into every wall I passed.

Evelyn told me over and over again that time spent healing was not time wasted at all, but never once did I believe her. I spent most of my days in the bookstore with her, sipping tea and shelving books. All in all, it was a peaceful life, but I was keenly aware it wasn't mine. My life was chaos, not peace. The ten months I spent healing were ten months I should have spent searching for The Hargreeves.

We did manage to make short trips to search. Evelyn is a saint in disguise and I will swear by that to this day. When she said she wanted to help, she wasn't joking. Not only did she help me heal and open her home to me, but she listened to my midnight ravings and was there to comfort me whenever I cried. She drove me all over the city to look for the family. We checked mental hospitals, jails, and even the hippie commune just outside of town. In each, there was no sign of any Hargreeves.

"Hopeless," I muttered, "Absolutely hopeless."

The chalkboard was filled with scribbles that all ended up being totally useless. All of my notes, every mind map, every possible hint, they all came up empty. The chalkboard was filled with dead ends and personality quirks that ended up not helping at all. By then, it was just one large scribble, having become completely illegible.

I abandoned my chalk on the nightstand and left the room. Evelyn and I spent an entire day clearing out her guest room for me to stay in. There were still piles of books and old boxes, but I didn't mind the clutter. In a way, it reminded me of home. The chalkboard stood in front of a mound of boxes, some of which I used as a stepping stool to get to the top.

Evelyn's tiny home was just above her bookstore. It was a small apartment, but quaint nonetheless. With two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a single open room that functioned as both living room and kitchen, it could easily get claustrophobic but I never once felt trapped. It was small, but it was homely. Books covered nearly every surface and some were even organized into stacks on the floor nearly as tall as I was. Old maps, photos of flowers, dried flowers, and impressionist paintings covered the walls making it hard to discern what was the bookstore and what was Evelyn's house. It was small, it was cluttered, but it felt just as much like home as anything else.

Going down the spiral staircase, I ended up in the backroom of Evelyn's bookstore. I knew I could never repay her for all she did for me, but I wanted to try nonetheless. All I could, I helped out at her bookstore, stocking and reshelving, even manning the register when she was out. By the time I was finally fully healed, I knew every book in every nook and cranny of that store.

Evelyn was sitting on the stool behind the cash register. Her nose was buried in a book, just as it most often was. She kept her legs crossed and she tapped a pencil to the desk. When she saw me come in, she peered over her book and smiled, "Any luck?"

"Nothing," I fell down into one of the armchairs and ran a hand down my face, "This is hopeless."

"Nothing is ever hopeless, Clove," Evelyn closed her book and leaned on the counter to gaze at me, "You just have to keep trying."

I slumped further into my seat and groaned, "I've been trying for ten months!"

"And maybe it's the eleventh month where you'll finally find your family," Evelyn tilted her head and smiled, "Have a little faith, my friend."

"You are too optimistic for your own good," I gave her a mock glare.

"Don't worry," she picked her book up again and smirked at me, "I'm only this optimistic to outweigh your pessimism."

"She's a joker too!"

Evelyn giggled, hiding her face behind her book as she did. I flung my legs over one arm of the chair and dramatically leaned back against the opposite arm. My head hung upside down to where it looked like Evelyn was sitting on the ceiling.

"You know, I'm beginning to wonder how lucky my lucky clover is," I gestured to my arm dramatically, "Two apocalypses and a bunch of missing friends, lucky clover my ass."

"Clove, language," Evelyn chided me.

"Right, sorry."

Evelyn shook her head gently, "Perhaps the reason you can't find them is because they're looking for you too."

"What?" I spun around to where my stomach was pressed up against the bottom cushion and my chin was supported by the arm of the chair.

"They always say, if you're lost, the best thing to do is stay in one place," Evelyn turned a page in her book and shrugged, "Perhaps they're looking for you too, and you're all going in circles around each other."

For a moment, I just stared at her, dumbfounded. She didn't even notice as a small frown crossed her lips, "If only you could leave some sort of sign for them, so they know where you are."

She glanced up to see me staring at her. Looking behind her, she raised a hand to her cheek and furrowed her eyebrows, "Do I have something on my face?"

"Evelyn, you're a genius!" I jumped up, nearly tripping over myself in the process.

"I am?"

"Of course you are!" I did a little twirl across the room and jumped to sit on the counter, "A sign, Evelyn, I could leave them a sign!"

She closed her book once again and folded her hands on the counter, "Where?"

"On the big wall of the bookstore."

"The one facing the intersection?"

"That's the one!"

I jumped off the counter and spun around yet again. It was the perfect plan, the large brick wall facing the intersection was completely blank and could be seen by anyone driving down any of the four roads surrounding the bookstore. It would be out in the open and, best of all, I knew exactly what kind of sign to leave.

"What are you going to put there?" Evelyn leaned in with curiosity.

I placed my fists on my hips and beamed, "An umbrella."

"An umbrella?"

"A black umbrella with a red tip, to be specific," I grinned, "All surrounded in a perfect black circle."

Evelyn tilted her head, "Why an umbrella?"

"Because, that's the symbol of The Umbrella Academy."

It was the perfect plan. Anyone glancing at the umbrella would think it's just another piece of graffiti, or maybe just a public art installation. They would pass by without even questioning it, but the Hargreeves would stop. Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, and Vanya would all stop to stare at the umbrella that matched their tattoos painted on the side of a building. It was so specific, so perfect, it had to catch their attention.

"I'll need paint," I began to pace, "A lot of black and just a little red."

Evelyn jumped up and moved around the counter, "There's a hardware store just a few blocks down, I got the paint for my living room there."

"Evelyn, you're a saint," I lunged forward to give her a hug.

She laughed as she patted my back, "You're too kind."

This was the closest I had been to finding my family for ten months. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a tiny spark of hope ignite in my heart. A whole fire could start roaring at any moment.

As I left the bookstore, I had a pep in my step and halfway skipped the entire route. I was so sure this would work, it had to work. Each and every one of my missing friends wouldn't hesitate in stopping to check the umbrella that looked so uncannily like the umbrella they boosted on their inner arms.

The hardware store was just like any other store on the block. Each one connected to the next despite being totally separate entities. When I stepped inside, I was met with the smell of sawdust and metal. It made me wrinkle my nose slightly, and I flinched when the saw came on in the back.

"Hi, welcome in," a youthful voice popped out from over the shelves, "My name is Dave, how can I help you?"

A boy just a few years older than my physical body popped out from behind a row of shelves. He was young, and it showed in his eyes and his smile. Hair so blonde it was almost transparent was cut into an army shave. He moved in away that showed he wasn't sure quite how to hold himself, but he somehow managed to appear relaxed.

"I need some paint," I responded.

Dave smiled, "You're in luck, we've got a two-for-one special on paint."

"It just so happens, two is the exact amount I need."

I walked out with a large can of black paint and a small can of red. It was just the right amount to paint an umbrella the exact size I wanted. I walked down the street with a bounce in every step, my posture slightly unbalanced from the light can of paint in one hand and the heavy can in the other.

It took me an entire afternoon to paint the umbrella. By the time I was finished, I was covered in black and red paint, but I was satisfied. I took a step back to admire my work as the sun went down, a smile spreading across my face.

The umbrella took up the corner of the wall right next to the street. It was just a little bit taller than myself, and the width of my arms spread out all the way. It was lopsided, several brushstrokes were out of place, and the circle was nowhere near perfect but none of that mattered. What mattered was it was big, loud, and, above all, visible.

"They can't miss this," I chucked my paintbrush into one of the empty paint cans and beamed.

The sun had all but gone down when I retreated back into Evelyn's house. She had closed the bookstore hours ago and was sitting on the couch waiting for me. The television was going in the background, but neither of us really noticed it. As she sipped her cup of tea, another waited for me on the coffee table. I gently took it as she glanced up at me, "Did any paint get on the wall?"

"What're you talking about?"

"It's all over you," she chuckled.

I glanced down at myself and grinned, "You should see the other guy."

"Did you get it done?" she asked as I leaned against the wall.

"It's ready," I sipped my tea, "It's big and it's visible, there's no way they can miss it."

Evelyn smiled up at me, "It'll work, Clove, I know it will."

"For once, I'm glad your optimism outweighs my pessimism."

Evelyn chuckled and shook her head, "Go take a shower before you get paint all over the house."

"Aye aye, captain."

I gave her a mock salute before hurrying off to the bathroom. Her bathroom matched the rest of her apartment with pastel walls and flowers everywhere you looked. Even the candle, one which I swore she never put out, smelled like fresh cut roses.

I had just kicked off my shoes when I heard Evelyn shout, "Clove! Clove, come quickly!"

After so many years of having to kill or be killed, I was instantly on high alert. I flung open the door and sprinted down the halls, energy already bouncing between my fingers, just begging to be made into a shield. Sliding across the hardwood floor with my socks, I skirted into the living room and flung up my hands, "What is it?! Are you hurt?!"

"No, no, the television!" Evelyn was furiously pointing at the small box.

"Is it the apocalypse?!"

"What? No! Just watch!"

I gazed at the middle-aged reporter giving the daily news. He stared directly into the camera as he spoke, "With an origin right here in Dallas, the cult of Destiny's Children has grown substantially in just three years. It's controversial leader, one they call the prophet, real name Klaus Hargreeves, has gathered quite a following as he preaches-."

A painting of a 'the prophet' appeared and I almost fell over. There, in black and white, was Klaus. His hair was much longer than it had been when I last saw him, having grown out in waves down to his shoulders. He wore robes and necklaces of flowers usually seen in the Hindu religion. As he held up one hand, I could see the word 'hello'.

"Oh my god," my hands flew to my mouth as tears gathered in my eyes, "It's Klaus."

Evelyn jumped up to stand next to me, "That's your Klaus, right? The one you're looking for?"

"It's him!" I flung up my hands and paused, "Of course he started a fucking cult!"

"Clove, language!"

"It's a fucking cult, Evelyn!"

"There is still no need for that kind of language."

"Fine," I dropped my arms and rolled my head on my neck to look at her, "He started a fucking alternative spiritual community."

Evelyn pinched the bridge of her nose, "What am I going to do with you?"

I was too focused on the television to answer her. Falling to my knees, I stared at the news reporter and listened to every detail he said, "The cult recently moved to San Francisco, where they spend their days lying in an empty field dressed all in blue."

"San Francisco," I breathed, "How am I supposed to get to San Francisco?"

Evelyn sat on the armchair near me and rested her elbows on her legs, "You could take a bus."

"I can't leave Dallas, what if the others show up while I'm gone?"

If Klaus' cult originated in Dallas, I could guess he landed here too. With three out of eight having landed in Dallas, I could guess pretty easily that the other five landed here too. I couldn't leave Dallas just in case the others dropped in the time I would be gone, or the ones that might already be here saw my umbrella. One thing was for certain, if Klaus landed here, the others were either here, had been here, or will be here.

"They're here," I turned to Evelyn and beamed, "If Klaus and I both dropped here, the others did too. If they arrived already, then they're here."

Evelyn leaned forward and smiled, "See where a little faith can get you?"

"Alright, alright, I'll admit, you were right," I grinned, "All I needed was a little faith, trust, and pixie dust."

"I think that was the first reference you ever made that I actually understood," Evelyn laughed.

I beamed up at her before turning back to the television. I couldn't leave Dallas, but I still had to get into contact with Klaus- somehow. There had to be a way.

"How am I supposed to get into contact with him?" I ran my hand down my face, "Man, I wish cell phones had been invented already."

Evelyn tilted her head, "What's a cell-phone?"

"Long story, the point is I can't call him, so what do I do?"

"You could always write him a letter."

"How? I don't have his address."

"We can find him," Evelyn stood, "They have to have an address, or a P.O. box, or something. We can run down to the library tomorrow and look."

I jumped to stand next to her, "Evelyn, you're a saint!"

Before I could jump to hug her, she placed a hand on my forehead and held me back, "As much as I love hugs, you're still covered in paint and this is my favorite sweater."

"Right," I smiled sheepishly, "I'll go take a shower."

"And don't come out until you get all the paint off."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Mum."

"Very funny. All of it, Clove, I mean it."

"Alright, alright, I'm going," I raised my hands in defeat, "I promise I won't come out until I have all the paint off."

Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest and grinned, "Good."

I wrinkled my nose and laughed before turning on my heel and heading back to the bathroom. The spark of hope in my chest had grown into a full scale bonfire. There was hope after all, if I could find one Hargreeves, I could find the rest. It was just a matter of time.


	4. What The Hell?

"Clove, wearing a hole in the floor won't do anyone any good."

"I can't help it, Evelyn!" I flung my hands in the air and groaned, "The library didn't have anything! Not an address, not a P.O. box, not even somewhere to send a freaking carrier pigeon!"

Evelyn calmly watched me pace back and forth. The bookstore was relatively deserted, as the rush hour was always after lunch. It was easy to shuffle across the hardwood floors in my socks, muttering under my breath and practically exploding at the seams.

Klaus was so close and yet so far away. After nearly a year of searching, I finally found someone and I couldn't even get into contact with him. Leaving Dallas was out of the question just in case someone else arrived, or someone who was already here saw the umbrella. Without an address, P.O. box, or phone number, it seemed like there was absolutely no way to contact Klaus.

It hurt so much to know someone was right there, but I couldn't reach them. After months of searching, I finally found someone. They were right there but my arms were just a little too short to reach them. Frustration covered the ache in my heart as I realized there may be no way to get to Klaus at all.

"Clove, take deep breaths," Evelyn moved around the counter to rest gentle hands on my shoulders, "It isn't the end yet, there are still options and we will find them. Have a little faith, my friend."

I ran my hands down my face and took a deep breath. Evelyn met my eyes and smiled, squeezing my shoulders, "We will get to him."

"It's taking so long," I rested my forehead on her shoulder and groaned, "I don't have the patience for this!"

Evelyn rubbed my back, "When do you ever have the patience?"

"Ouch, Evelyn, you wound me."

"Patience or not, a little faith can get you a long away," Evelyn pulled me away so she could look me in the eyes, "You've come this far, don't give up now."

I gazed at her for a moment and sighed. To this day, I swear, the only reason I survived ten months in 1963 was Evelyn's unwavering optimism. She had enough faith for the both of us and it was quickly rubbing off on me. Giving her a small smile, I said, "You're right, you're right. We've come this far"

Evelyn smiled at me and squeezed my shoulders. When she let go, I ran my hand down my face and released yet another long breath. I needed a distraction, perhaps removing my mind from the situation is exactly what would give me a solution. I glanced at the stack of books near the front windows, "I'm going to stack some books, get my mind off of it."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Evelyn pushed herself up onto her stool and grabbed the daily newspaper, "I'll be right here if you need me."

Giving her one last smile, I shuffled off to the stack of books and fell on my knees. Evelyn had just gotten a new shipment of classic novels, all bound with beautiful red leather and golden writing. The leather felt smooth and soft under my fingertips, I could have easily spent all day just stroking the covers.

Working in Evelyn's bookstore had given me a glimpse of an entirely different life. One of peace where the most eventful thing was a new shipment of books. It was calm, it was peaceful, it was everything my life was not. In a way, it was nice, but it was also nerve wracking.

My entire time with Evelyn, I knew this was her life and not mine. It could never be my life, no matter how much I might want it to be. My life was apocalypses, assassins, and dysfunctional superhero teams. It was chaos and destruction without any end in sight, and, as much as I loved it, I found myself wanting to slow down every so often. Staying with Evelyn gave me the chance to do that, but it practically fried my nerves as I knew it was only a matter of time before it all imploded around me.

"Clove?" Evelyn's voice rang out over the classical music record she always had playing, "What did you say the name of the knife-guy is?"

"Knife-guy? You mean Diego?" I glanced up.

I could hear Evelyn hit the paper, "Diego!"

"I am absolutely telling him you called him knife-guy."

Evelyn calmly walked around the shelves separating us, her face lit up from the inside out and her eyes sparkling. Holding out the folded paper to me, she beamed, "I think you might want to take a look at this."

"Is it my horoscope?" I frowned, "Honestly, Evelyn, I told you all that stuff about zodiacs and star signs is all a bunch of junk."

"Your horoscope said you would be cranky today," Evelyn muttered under her breath before shaking her head, "No, no, it's something much better than that."

She stuffed the papers in my hands and pointed furiously to the article. Glancing down, I read the headline under my breath, "Disturbed man with multiple knives arrested outside of 1026 North Beckley."

I unfolded the paper and nearly dropped it. There, gazing up at me from a mug shot with his usual please-believe-I'm-a-badass grin, was Diego. He looked exactly the same as he did the moment we left 2019, right down to the cut on his cheek from falling debris in the Icarus Theater. The only difference was the long hair falling in unbrushed locks down to his shoulders. I was much too excited to comment on his new Antonio Banderas look. 

"Holy shit," I gasped, "It's Diego! It's him!"

I jumped up and waved the paper around. Evelyn cupped her own cheeks and beamed, "Is that your Diego?"

"It is!"

"Knife-guy?"

"Knife-guy!"

I felt like I might explode right then and there. After ten months of searching, I found two of the Hargreeves in just as many days. I was absolutely ecstatic but I suddenly paused, "This can't be a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Evelyn glanced over my shoulder as we both stared at Diego's mugs hot.

"I've been searching for them for ten months," I frowned, "And two of them show up in two days? It smells fishy."

Evelyn frowned, "Maybe it is purely coincidence? The right place and the right time?"

"In my entire fifty-nine years of life, never has anything ever happened to be by coincidence."

They used to tell us at the Commission that everything was engineered. All of time and space was made that way by the Commission themselves. In the back of my mind, I worried this was their doing. Perhaps they were bringing us all together just to destroy us. That didn't sound like the Handler, however. As many times and she tried to separate Five and me, I would expect her to keep us all separated and take us out one by one.

"We have to find him," I scanned the article and grinned, "It says here he was taken to a sanatorium just a few miles from here."

Something didn't add up. I kept gazing at Diego's mug shot in the reprinted article, my eyes scanning the article for anything that caught my eye. Something about it didn't add up but felt eerily familiar all at the same time.

"Why would he be at 1026 North Beckley?" Evelyn was the one to finally point out the obvious.

"I don't know, maybe-" I stopped mid-sentence as it finally hit me, "That dumbass."

Evelyn wrinkled her eyebrows, "Clove, there is no need for name calling."

"That's Lee Harvey Oswald's house!" I flung the paper above my head, exasperated, "He was going to stop JFK's assassination!"

Evelyn stared at me for a moment before holding up her hands, "Wait, he was going to stop what now?"

"That's the kind of thing that alters the timeline and causes apocalypses!" I completely ignored her question as I pinched the bridge of my nose, "We have to get to him before he does something else stupid."

Evelyn, used to this behavior, sighed, "I'll get my keys."

***

The sanitorium looked more like a prison than actual prisons did. Every window had bars over it and so many layers of glass, it hardly looked like a window anymore. The sanatorium was large only in the sense that it spread out, but it never went up. With only one floor, it took up more area than most of the buildings in Dallas. White bricks caught the attention of anyone driving by on the nearby highway, and they glinted in the sun to where it was almost blinding to look at.

Before we left Evelyn's place, I grabbed a nail file, one of Evelyn's hair pins, and a piece of paper with the address to the bookstore scrawled on it. Diego was good at more things than just knives, and I knew a nail file and a hair pin was more than enough for him to break out of here. As we stood in front of the foreboding building, I fiddled with the items in my pocket.

"This place gives me the heebie jeebies," Evelyn whispered.

I shrugged as we hurried to the front door, "I've seen worse."

"Really?"

"You should see the Hargreeves' mansion, now that's a creepy place."

The doors squeaked as we opened them. Instantly, I was hit with the smell of cleaning bleach and latex, making me wrinkle my nose and try not to gag. The hospital was so unnaturally clean I almost felt like I shouldn't be there. My shoes squeaked on the tile, and I didn't dare glance down or see some twisted version of myself staring back up at me.

Behind the front desk, a woman was much too invested in her magazine to notice us. I rang the bell, but she didn't even look up. Only after Evelyn cleared her throat did the woman finally peer over her magazine, "May I help you?"

"Hi, we're here to see Diego Hargreeves," I plastered an innocent smile across my face.

The woman looked me up and down before frowning, "Only family can visit patients."

"Oh, but ma'am, we are family," I did my best to play the role of a worried child, "I'm his little sister, and I'm so worried about him!"

The woman turned her gaze to Evelyn, "And you are?"

"Oh, I-uhm- I am- uh," Evelyn stuttered.

"She's also his sister," I frowned, "They're my legal guardians, and, when we heard our dearest brother got arrested, we came as fast as we could! We're just so worried about him!"

I wiped away a fake tear as Evelyn nodded furiously. The woman glanced between us before frowning. For a moment, I thought my act didn't work, until she handed us two white wristbands, "Put these on and go to room 4B, I'll call them to send him down."

"Thank you, ma'am!" I waved as we left.

As soon as we were around the corner, I released a loud sigh. Evelyn chuckled, "You make a good child."

"Don't remind me," I cracked my neck.

The room we were made to wait in was just as bad as the main hall. Clean tile and even cleaner walls made up the room, along with a metal table and three matching chairs that were bolted to the ground. Barely any sunlight streamed in through the blockaded window, giving the entire room an eerie sort of vibe.

The only sound came from distant chatter and the occasional shout. Sometimes, we could hear nurses scuffling through the halls, mumbling under their breath as they did so. The very air made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I was keenly aware of every corner of the room. Every time someone moved even near the door, I sensed it, and I was ready to attack.

After what felt like years, the door finally opened. Two nurses dressed all in white pushed in Diego. He was fighting against them and spoke curses the entire way. His all black outfit had been changed for an all white outfit, something which oddly suited him. The very first thing I noticed was how much longer his hair was. It stretched down in curly waves all the way to his shoulder, and I almost forgot he ever had short hair at all. The long hair suited him so much, it seemed like he always had it that way. He continued to glare at the nurses as he was pushed in.

As soon as I saw him, I leapt from my chair and flung my hands in the air, "Diego!"

He flung his head around. When his eyes landed on me, they widened, "Clove?"

"Diego, you're alive!"

"You're alive?" Diego and I both sat down at the same time, "I thought I was the only survivor."

I leaned my elbows on the table and beamed, "So did I."

"What are you doing here?"

"We read about you in the paper," Evelyn gently patted her purse.

Diego's eyes drifted to the woman sitting next to me. Looking her up and down, he frowned, "Who's this?"

"Diego, Evelyn," I made brief introductions, "Evelyn, Diego."

Evelyn gave a small wave, "Nice to meet you."

"Ditto?" Diego furrowed his eyebrows.

"There's no time for pleasantries," I sighed, "How long have you been here?"

We didn't have to talk specifics for him to know exactly what I was talking about. With the sudden appearance of Diego and Klaus, my theory seemed to be getting even stronger. All of us must have landed at different times, but all in Dallas.

"Seventy-three days," Diego kept glancing around the room as if he was worried someone were going to attack.

"Where?"

"In an alley behind Commerce and Knox."

"What a coincidence, so did I," I bit my lip, "I've been here for ten months."

"What? That's impossible, we all left at the same time to go to the same place."

"Maybe that's what we intended, but it didn't quite work out that way," I frowned, "Five's never taken that many people through time before, the most he's ever done is two. I think we were all scattered across the timeline, but we all landed in Dallas, Texas."

Diego glanced at Evelyn before leaning close to me, "Where are the others?"

"I was kind of hoping you would know," I sighed deeply, "All I've found is you and Klaus."

"Where's Klaus?"

"San Francisco, he started a cult."

Diego leaned back in his chair and grinned, clicking his tongue slightly, "That sounds like him."

"Listen, Diego, we have to get out of here," I brought my voice down to a low whisper and leaned forward, "Do you know where Five is?"

Diego leaned forward as well, "Isn't he usually with you?"

"He got scattered too," I rubbed my temples and sighed, "We have to bring everyone back together and get out of here as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"Just us being here disrupts the timeline, who knows what chaos we've created."

Diego hesitated. He glanced back at the nurses, his eyes drifting over Evelyn as well. I was worried this would be like a repeat of the 2019 apocalypse all over again. It had taken forever to get The Hargreeves to finally band together to stop the apocalypse, and by then, it was too late. They were all much too stubborn for their own good.

"Five is the one who got us into the mess, it's up to him to get us out," Diego leaned even closer and grinned, "I've got more important business."

I met his eyes and glared at him, "Diego, please tell me you weren't planning on killing Oswald."

"Of course I wasn't going to kill him."

"Really? Because you were found outside his house with a bunch of knives, that doesn't really help your case."

"I'm not going to kill him because he hasn't done anything yet," Diego mumbled, "I'm going to cut off his trigger finger and force him to leave town."

For a moment, I just stared at him, blinking slowly. Burying my face in my hands, I groaned, "No wonder you're stuck in the nuthouse."

"Hey, I'm not the one who got us stuck here," Diego stopped when I gave him a death glare, "I am going to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and I'm going to start by cutting off Oswald's trigger finger."

"What part of disrupting the timeline don't you understand?"

"I'm not disrupting the timeline, I'm saving a life."

I rolled my eyes, "Diego, stopping a major historical event is the kind of thing that jumpstarts apocalypses."

"There can only be one apocalypse, Clove," Diego chuckled, "And we still have fifty years until that happens."

I rubbed my temples, "Hopeless, you're hopeless."

"One more minute," the nurse announced.

Diego glanced back at them as I kept rubbing my temples. For once, I wished I had Five's ability to jump through space. I could easily grab Diego and break out, but I was stuck having to leave him there. There was no way I could break him out without raising the kind of hell that gets all the wrong attention. As easy as it would be to fend off every nurse with a shield and sprint out the front door, I knew that would attract not only media attention but the attention of The Commission as well. It was only a matter of time until they found us, and I didn't want to speed up the process.

"So, you take the one on the left, I'll take the one on the right?" Diego smirked at me.

"Diego, as much as I'd like to perform a prison break with you, I can't," I shook my head, "We have to stay as far under the radar as we can, as if your newspaper article already put us in jeopardy."

Diego frowned, "Under the radar?"

"The Commission, Diego, it's just a matter of time before they send more assassins after us."

"They won't be able to find us here."

"They can find us anywhere, they have all of space and time at their disposal," I stood and frowned, "It's safer for you here- for now."

"Clove-" Diego stood with me.

I interrupted him, "I'm not going to hear anything about your hero complex."

"I don't have a hero complex."

"Sure said the liar."

"Time's up," the nurses took a step forward.

I stepped around the table and glanced up at Diego, "I'll be back for you, soon."

Despite Diego's protests, I leaned forward to hug him. My old pickpocketing skills came in handy as I discreetly slipped the nail file, lock pick, and slip of paper in his pocket. When we pulled apart, I could see in the smirk on his face that he knew it. Giving him one last smile, I said, "Don't do anything stupid."


	5. One Thing Led To Another, Now I'm Stuck in 1963 With A Cultist and A Nutjob

Perhaps I had been spending too much time with Five, because I felt like everything was utterly hopeless but I was going to try my damndest anyways. After ten months of searching, I finally find Klaus started a cult and Diego's in the nuthouse. With no way to get into contact with Klaus without leaving Dallas, I had to wait until either he found me or I got everyone else gathered up. Diego was locked up in one of the most secure places in Dallas with only a nail file and a lockpick.

"What's taking him so long?" I fell into the armchair and huffed.

Evelyn peered at me from over her newspaper, "It's only been three days, Clove. Now, I don't know a lot about breaking out of a sanatorium, but I imagine it takes some time."

"Not this long," I ran a hand down my face and groaned, "Diego should've gotten out the night I slipped him the tools!"

It wasn't like Diego to take this long. He was stubborn enough to not give up and intelligent enough to figure out exactly how to break out fast and efficiently. I expected him to get out the very night I gave him the nail file, not days later.

Deep down, I was worried his tools got confiscated. Perhaps he was found out and put under even tighter security where I couldn't get to him. If they found out he got the tools, there was no doubt they'd figure out the only visitor Diego ever had gave them to him.

The feeling of utter hopelessness made my entire body go numb. It was a weird feeling, after so long being the hopeful one, it was odd being the hopeless one. For the first time in my life, I began to doubt just how lucky my clover was. Ten months isolated from the people you care about the most could do that to a person.

"Oh goodness," Evelyn clicked her tongue, "This poor young girl has been posting advertisements looking for her family for a month now and she still hasn't found them. Bless her heart."

I rolled my head on my neck like dead weight to look at Evelyn, "I can relate."

"Aren't you the Lucky Clover?" Evelyn folded her paper to better look at me.

"A lot of good it's done me."

"I think it's done you plenty of good," Evelyn smiled, "You found Klaus and Diego, didn't you?"

"I can't get into contact with Klaus and Diego is stuck in a bleeding sanitorium!"

"But you found them," Evelyn's eyes sparkled, "And, need I remind you, you were practically dead when I found you."

Hesitating, I glanced at her, "My luck made me find you."

"If I remember correctly, I'm the one who found you."

"Yeah, yeah, if you wanna get technical about it, I guess."

Evelyn threw back her head and laughed, causing me to chuckle as well. Perhaps she was right, all was not lost. Moments of hopelessness didn't mean all hope was gone, there was still hope. I found Klaus and Diego, there was still hope. My lucky clover had gotten me this far, who's to say it wouldn't take me all the way through? I just had to have a little faith.

I leaned my head back and smiled. The numbness was replaced with a sort of sparking fire where hope should be, igniting me from the inside out and letting me know there was always hope left. It wasn't over yet.

Loud popping noises followed by screams reached my ears. In a heartbeat, I was on my feet as Evelyn dove behind the counter to hide. I could see people running across the street through the windows, all glancing behind them in a terrified manner. More rapid-fire popping came along with minor explosions. The trained assassin in me easily identified the sound of gunshots, and not just any gunshots, machine guns.

"Machine guns," I muttered.

Evelyn peered over the counter, her entire body shaking, "Gunshots? Here? Why?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"Clove, no, it's dangerous!"

"Have a little faith, Evelyn," I winked at her as I opened the door, "I'm the Lucky Clover."

"Cockiness gets people killed, Clove!" Evelyn shouted just as I shut the door.

I began to run down the street opposite of everyone else. A few people yelled at me to turn around, others just stared, but my mind was set. I could still hear the gunshots and shouts when I made it to the end of Evelyn's street.

It came from a few blocks over, right around Morty's Television and Radio. The alley Diego and I both arrived in, and I was beginning to think everyone else did as well, was right on that block. My heart jumped into a somersault at the same time that it hit the ground. There was a chance someone else had just arrived, but there was an equally strong chance they were shot as soon as they landed.

I nearly fell over as I skirted around the corner. The street was pretty much completely deserted except for a few cops just jumping out of their patrol cars. They were shouting at each other, but their shouts fell on deaf ears.

My eyes caught smoke coming out of a light blue car. Making sure to stay out of sight of the cops, I rushed across the street and dove behind the smoking car. It was covered in bullet holes, only some of which went through. The amount of holes had to either come from multiple guns or a single machine gun.

When I dove behind the car, I practically tripped over a smoldering briefcase. My breath hitched in my throat as I lifted the familiar leather briefcase. It was much lighter than it should be, but that probably came from the excessive amount of holes in it. Some of the wiring inside still popped, meaning it wouldn't be able to time travel anytime soon. Gripping it, I muttered, "They found us."

The Commission found us, and their assassins were here somewhere. Only they could have this briefcase, but that still didn't make sense. Corrections Agents were not supposed to put their briefcase down, let alone fill it with bullet holes. The only way a Commission briefcase would end up like that was if it were in the hands of their target.

If they were in the same year and the same city as I was, there was only one possible target they could have. Whoever was already here was in danger as the Commission was onto us. Diego, Klaus, Five, Luther, Allison, and Vanya very well could have already run into Commission agents. By the looks of this briefcase, I could guess one of them had already been there.

It wasn't hard to deduce that someone had just arrived, or that someone had come back searching for the others. The Corrections Agents were after someone, and I knew it had to be one of the Hargreeves. Just our presence here was the very thing that rang Commission alarm bells, let alone the vendetta The Handler probably has against Five and me.

"They're here," I muttered as I dropped the briefcase.

One of the people I have been searching for since the moment I arrived in 1963 could be right under my nose. The Corrections agents weren't shooting at nothing, and, if I was right, I knew roughly who it was. Someone was there and I was determined to find them.

I snuck out from behind the car and ran into a nearby alleyway. The cops were still searching for perpetrators, and I was determined not to get caught. Sticking my hands in my pockets and doing my best to look as innocent as possible, I walked into the alley and began to glance around.

There was a fire escape climbing up the side of the theater. The ladder hung just a few feet out of reach, but I easily reached it using a shield as a booster. Launching myself into the air, I grabbed the bottom rung and began to climb up. I reached the top just as the cops ran into the alley.

Keeping low to the roof, I began to search the area. From that vantage point, I could see the street where the shootout occurred as well as the street behind. I jumped over a break in the buildings and instantly fell onto my stomach.

Three men were standing over the bloody body of a milkman. I watched as the two taller men, both with striking white hair, carried the milkman's body into the back of the truck while the shorter one changed into his clothes. All had the same white hair and pursed lips. They looked identical enough to be brothers, but different enough to where I wasn't fully sure they were triplets. Some had wrinkles while others didn't, one even had a scar going down his face. I watched them load several guns, one of which was a machine gun, into their newly commandeered milk van.

"The Swedes," I muttered.

Back in my Commission days, I heard of many assassins. The Swedes were some of the best, not quite Five and me or Hazel and Cha Cha, but some of the best. They were brothers who worked together so well it was almost as if they were telepathically communicating. They were some of the deadliest silent killers, and there could be only one reason they were in Dallas at the exact same time I was.

Our time was running out, the Commission had found us. If they didn't already encounter one of the Hargreeves, they would soon and they wouldn't stop until we were all dead. Once again, we were the targets, and our time in 1963 was at an end.

We had to get out, and we had to get out fast. Jumping to my feet, I began to sprint down the rooftops with my sights set on Evelyn's bookstore. It was even more urgent to find the Hargreeves' now, outside of reuniting a family and protecting the timeline, their very lives were in danger. So long as Commission sent assassins were on our tails, we were all in danger.

I went as fast as I could towards Evelyn's bookstore without raising suspicion. Seeing a girl sprinting down the street could draw a few eyes, and I did my best to restrain myself. When the umbrella on the side of Evelyn's bookstore came into view, I released a deep exhale.

"Evelyn!" I shouted as I flung open the door, "I need your optimism!"

As the door shut behind me, my eyes fell onto Evelyn. She was sitting on her stool behind the counter as she most often was, but this time was different. Her hands were covering her mouth, in fear or surprise, I couldn't tell. Even from across the room, I could see her eyes shake with the rest of her. She was gazing at something hidden behind the shelves before turning to me. I raised my hands, ready to fight off whoever might be attacking my friend, "Evelyn?"

"Clove?"

A figure stepped around the shelves and I almost fell over right then and there. There, looking the same as he did when I saw him nearly a year ago, was Five. He was the same from his haircut down to the bowling shoes he wore to stop the apocalypse. After so long searching, he was there, and I could hardly believe it.

"F-Five?" tears welled in my eyes, "Are you- are you really here."

He pulled his hands out of his pockets, a smile wider than the moon stretching across his face, "It's me, Clove, I'm here."

"Five!"

I had already started crying before Five caught my hug. He stumbled backwards, just barely managing to catch us both before we hit the ground. I flung my arms around him and held him like I was worried he would vanish once again. He held me just as tight, burying his face in my hair as mine was already hidden in his shoulder.

Tears steadily streamed down my face as I had to bite back the urge to sob. After so long thinking my best friend was dead, hugging him again felt like a wish granted. My worries went away, all of my hopelessness vanished and I was filled to the brim with hope. My best friend was back, and I couldn't be happier.

"I was so scared you were dead," I cried into Five's shoulder.

"I know, I'm sorry," he spoke as if he had heard this before, "I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner."

I pulled away just enough to cup his cheeks, "I knew you'd come back, I knew you'd find me."

"Of course I would, I promised."

I started crying again as I pulled him into another hug. After a few seconds, I sniffled and pulled away to look him in the face, but I still held tightly to his wrists as if afraid he would leave again. He held tightly to me as well.

"How did you find me?" I asked with a hoarse voice.

"A new acquaintance of mine recognized my tattoo," he held out his arm for emphasis, "He matched it to your most recent art project."

I hesitated before beaming, "I knew it would work."

"How long have you been here?" Five got right to the point.

"Ten months," I wiped my eyes, "I landed in the alley behind Commerce and Knox."

"Commerce and Knox? Yeah, me too," Five spoke at the same time I did.

"When did you get here?"

"Ten days from now."

"What?"

Five squeezed my hands and grimaced, "Clove, we did it again."

"Did what?" I knew the answer before he even told me.

"Started the apocalypse," Five explained, "I saw it. Ten days from now, a nuclear holocaust happens right here in Dallas."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "What causes it?"

"I don't know, all I know is you and my brothers and sisters were fighting it when I arrived."

"How did you get out?"

"Hazel," Five paused and glanced at the ground, "He died getting me here."

We both fell into silence for our lost friend. It was odd to call him a friend, but it felt right all at the same time. Despite trying to kill us on multiple occasions, our last encounter with Hazel showed a changed man. The fact that he rescued Five alone was enough to make him a friend in my book.

A dainty gasp behind us drew both our attention to Evelyn. She was perfectly flush and, had she not been sitting down, she might have fallen over again. With her hands still covering her mouth, she turned to me and muttered, "I thought you said we had fifty years until the apocalypse."

"Apparently I was wrong," I frowned, "We've got ten days."

Five glanced between Evelyn and me, "Who's this?"

"Right, sorry, Five, this is Evelyn," I gestured to the two of them, "Evelyn, this is my best friend Five."

Despite still shaking, Evelyn stretched out her hand for a shake, "It's a pleasure, Clove talks a lot about you."

"Whatever she said, don't believe her," Five grinned.

I rolled my eyes, "Evelyn saved my life."

"Did you?"

"Oh, uh- yes," Evelyn cleared her throat, "She arrived practically dead."

Instantly, Five spun on me. His eyebrows fused together as he looked me up and down, "Clove-"

"Five, I'm fine," I rested my hands on his shoulders and smiled, "Thanks to Evelyn here, I didn't die and I spent the majority of the last ten months healing."

"I nearly had to tie her to the bed to keep her down," Evelyn commented.

Five chuckled, "That sounds like her."

"And yet you're the stubborn one."

Five and I both laughed, with Evelyn nervously laughing along. Glancing at the clock, Five was quickly jerked back to the task at hand. Once again, he was gazing at me with a dead serious look, "Have you found any of the others?"

"Only two," I raised two fingers for emphasis, "Klaus started a cult and is currently in San Francisco-"

"Disappointing but not surprising," Five sighed.

"-and Diego is locked up in a mental asylum."

"Once again, disappointing but not surprising," Five shook his head, "How'd he end up there?"

I smirked, "He was arrested outside of Lee Harvey Oswald's house."

For a moment, Five stared at me. A groan overtook him as he ran a hand down his face, "He's trying to stop the assassination of Kennedy, isn't he?"

"And he got himself locked up because of it," I shrugged, "I snuck him a lock pick, a nail file, and a piece of paper with the bookstore's address on it three days ago. He should have been out by now."

Five sighed, "It might be safer for him in there, stopping JFK's assassination is exactly the sort of thing that triggers doomsdays."

"With any luck, he'll come here first."

"Doubtfully, he's too stubborn for that," Five muttered.

I smirked, "Family trait."

"Ouch, I'm tempted to leave you here."

"What would you ever do without me?"

Five chuckled and shook his head. I couldn't help but smile. It felt like I had just returned home after a journey that lasted a lifetime. The familiar comforts returned as I felt like I could finally drop my guard.

"We need to find the others," Five glanced around nervously, "We're running out of time."

I crossed my arms and frowned, "I've been looking for them for ten months without any leads."

"I think I know someone who might be able to point us in the right direction."

"What if Diego comes here?"

"I'll wait for him," Evelyn interjected, "I can't close the bookstore yet, anyways, it's not even the lunch rush."

She gazed at both of us with a smile. Five turned to me as I grinned, "Evelyn, you're a saint."

"Remember that for later."

"Trust me, I will."

"We're running out of time," Five glanced at the clock before turning to me, "Come on, Clove."

Five took my hand and, just before he could warp us out, I smiled, "It's good to be back."


	6. In Which I Am Mistaken For A Preteen

"A television store?" I crossed my arms and glanced at my friend, "Your friend lives in a television store?"

Five stuffed his hands in his pockets as we both crossed the street, "I wouldn't call him a friend."

"Right, I forgot, you don't make friends."

"Then what does that make you?" Five smirked at me.

I shot him a smirk right back, "A tolerable leech."

Five rolled his eyes and warped us both into the store. We appeared at the base of a double staircase. Each staircase crept up one side of the very empty television store. The only sign of life was at the top of the staircases where an upper floor was open enough to look out over the bottom floor.

Even from the bottom of the staircases, I could see someone pacing and hear them muttering to themselves. Five warped us to the top and the man screamed and nearly fell over the couch.

As soon as I laid eyes on him, I felt like I had seen him somewhere. Perhaps in passing or perhaps in a brief meeting, but I knew I had seen him somewhere. His balding head and shirt buttoned all the way to his neck seemed familiar, but in a distant way. The way his eyes were always wide and his thoughts so obviously scattered showed his mind was too busy in the clouds to come back down to Earth. He struggled to keep himself upright, swallowing hard as he did so.

"Yo-you're the kid from the bookstore," the man stuttered.

I frowned, "Don't call me a kid or I'll melt your brain."

"Can you all do that?" the man glanced at Five.

Five smirked, "Do you want to find out?"

"N-no."

As I listened to him blubber about, it hit me where I saw him. I slapped the side of my head and laughed, "You're Elliot, Evelyn's friend!"

"Y-yes," Elliot stuttered, "I've seen you at the bookstore."

I glanced over at the walls and saw photographs taking up an entire section. The fourth column of photographs were all of me from the night I arrived. I could see myself stumbling forward and collapsing in the road. Tilting my head, I frowned, "What're you, a stalker?"

The very first column was all photographs of Klaus. He was tumbling around and throwing up his arms as if asking the sky why this was happening. After him came Allison, who fumbled with the bandage over her neck and seemed to have a hard time staying upright. Luther came next, most of the photographs were him standing at the end of the alley with someone I didn't know. After me came Diego, Elliot caught his superhero landing as well as him sprinting out of the alley. Vanya came last, still in her white suit, and the photographs lead all the way to her stumbling out of the alley.

"Wh-what?" Elliot muttered, "I'm not- I'm not a-"

"He is," Five warped over to the photographs, "But, he's our best bet at finding the others."

I hurried to stand next to him. He lifted a cup off the table, and frowned when he realized his coffee was cold. When he returned from throwing it away, I asked, "How do these photos help? It's all of our arrivals, not what happened next."

"It tells us when everyone arrived," Five explained, "Klaus arrived in 1960, Allison in '61, and Luther in '62. You, Diego, and Vanya all arrived this year, in that order."

I scratched my chin, "And you got here ten days from now."

"Exactly."

"Holy shit," I gasped and spun around to face Five, "I just realized something."

Five glanced at me as if expecting some revelation, "What?"

"I'm ten months older than you."

Five rolled his eyes as I cackled, "We don't have time for this, Clove."

"On the contrary, we have plenty of time."

"Stick to the task, please."

I stifled my giggles, glancing at Five to see him glaring at me. We turned back to the photographs and I cleared my throat, "We know where Diego and Klaus are, but what about the others?"

"Have you seen any sign of them?" Five asked.

"None," I crossed my arms, "I put together a probability map of where they might go, and I still couldn't find them."

Elliot skittishly stepped up next to us and raised his hand as if he was a school kid, "I-I might be able to help."

Five and I both turned to him and waited. Five gestured for him to continue, and Elliot swallowed roughly. Loosening his collar, he spoke, "I saw arrival number three go into a club downtown, he went through the employee entrance so I think he works there."

"Arrival number three?" I muttered.

"Luther," Five breathed, "Where is this club?"

Elliot hesitated, "Forty-Ninth and Congress."

It wasn't much of a lead, but it was all we had at the moment. After so long of no leads at all, even the smallest lead was better than nothing. Five and I glanced at each other before Five smiled, "Come on, Clove, let's go find Luther."

***

"I always thought he'd be crying in a ditch somewhere," I stated, "Stuck moping about the moon."

Five and I approached the club. It was on a sketchy street where everyone looked at us like we were their next meal. It didn't bother either of us, as both Five and I knew they would be dead before they could even lay a finger on us. Nevertheless, the street gave off subterranean vibes, like it was an alternate universe where everything was much darker. There was no light, hardly any city noise, and an ever-present sewer stench.

"I suppose he got an upgrade," Five commented as we stepped through the door.

I frowned, "Gone from crying in a ditch to a stinky club, sounds like a downgrade to me."

The club smelled of old cigarettes, body odor, and tons of alcohol. Just one step into the club and my nose was already burning. I could hardly see anything, most of the lights were pointed at the dancer on the stage rather than lightning the club. Those that were focused on the club were hues of orange and red giving the entire place a somber atmosphere.

Five and I ducked into a somewhat tucked away booth. The chair wrapped in a semi-circle around the table, leaving only a small opening for the waitress. A single candle lit the table while a small orange light dangled just above. When I slid into the seat, the cracking leather poked through my pants and the table was so sticky my hands nearly couldn't let go. I had to wrinkle my nose, "Definitely a downgrade."

"What's a guy like Luther doing in a place like this?" Five muttered.

"Seems odd for him," I responded, "He's much too modest for this."

"Something is keeping him here."

We did our best to blend into the background while scanning the crowds for Luther. Despite being much older at heart, both of us were keenly aware of our youthful bodies. They were exactly the sort of thing that would get us kicked out of this obviously adult club. We blended into the dark just as well as the rest of the crowd.

"Excuse me," a high pitched voice caught our attention, "We don't serve minors here."

A girl who couldn't have been more than twenty-three stepped in front of us. Her outfit was more like a glorified bathing suit, it was filled with sparkles and just barely kept her pantyhose up. Her smile told a different story, one of a genuinely kind person who just wanted to make a living. Even as she told us we couldn't be here, she did it kindly.

"We're not minors," Five responded.

The girl raised her eyebrow, "Got any ID?"

"That's going to be a little difficult," I flashed her a smile.

Technically, we hadn't been born yet. It was impossible to have any sort of identification if we weren't supposed to exist in this time in the first place. Five looked her up and down before meeting her eyes, "What time do you get off?"

"Excuse me?" the girl giggled.

I threw a napkin at him, making him chuckle. The girl frowned, "I'm sorry, kid, but I'm a bit too old for you."

"You'd be surprised," I grumbled.

The girl shook her head before hurrying off into the crowd. I ran my hand down my face and glared at my companion. Five noticed and chuckled, "What?"

"You're disgusting," I rolled my eyes.

"Hey," Five grinned, "You maybe be aromantic and asexual, but I am just the latter. I do enjoy the occasional romantic evening."

"Yes, I know that, but she's at least twenty-five years younger than you!"

Five shrugged, "Technically, I'm not even born yet."

"That makes it so much worse, do you know that?"

Five only laughed. I ran my hand down my face once more. When I opened my eyes, they went straight past Five to the man leaning on the bar. He was staring at us as we both recognized each other at the same time. He mouthed both of our names and I muttered, "Luther."

"Luther?" Five didn't take his eyes off me, "Where?"

"Behind you and coming this way."

Five smirked, but kept his eyes forward. From the corner of my eye, I could see Luther bumbling up behind Five. He moved differently than he did the last time I saw him, much more sturdy and confident. Perhaps he finally left the moon behind him, though I had a hard time believing it.

Luther came up to Five's side and crouched down, "She's too young for you."

"That's what I said!" I exclaimed.

"Good to see you, Luther," Five smiled, "Sit down with us, won't you?"

I scooted to the middle of the table to give Luther a space to sit down. He fell onto his seat, making the entire booth quake and threatening to give out. Glaring at Five, he grumbled, "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? Looking for you," Five leaned on the table and held his hands together, "How long have you been here?"

"A year, thanks to you," Luther spat out his words like they were venom.

I pointed at him, "One hundred ways to kill a man, Luther, remember that."

"Always a pleasure, Clove," Luther rolled his eyes and glared at me.

"Clove, calm down," Five held out his hand to me, "I'm sorry, Luther, I know that couldn't have been easy."

"I thought everyone was dead."

"So did I," I interjected.

Luther glared at me, "How long have you been here?"

"Ten months," I responded, "The others are here too."

"And I just got here this morning," Five smiled.

Luther glanced between Five and me, all while glaring a hole into each of us, "Why are you here?"

"I told you, we came looking for you," Five leaned forward, "We have to gather the family and stop the apocalypse."

Luther just stared at Five for a moment, "The apocalypse?"

"Yes, the apocalypse," Five repeated, "The world ends in ten days, Luther, and I don't know how to stop it."

For a moment, Luther just stared at Five. He glanced at me every so often as if looking for confirmation, and I only nodded. There was doubt written all across his face. Placing his palms flat on the table, he looked Five dead in the eye and said, "I don't give a shit."

"What?!" I shouted, "Luther!"

"Luther, the world is ending," Five spoke through gritted teeth.

Luther frowned, "I don't care. Look, I have to go, I've got work to do."

"Luther, look, I get it. I know what it's like to be lost in time, not knowing if everyone you love is alive or dead," Five grabbed Luther's arm and glanced at me, "We both do. This isn't it, this isn't how life is and you do not have to be alone in a world you don't know. The others are here and we have to stop the apocalypse."

Luther jerked his arm from Five's grip and glared at his brother, "Save the world on your own."

Luther began to stalk off towards the bar with both of us watching him. My mouth was held agape while my fists were clenched tightly. Glancing at Five, I could barely speak. Five, however, shook his head, "Dammit, Luther."

He jumped up from the booth and began to speed after his brother. Without hesitation, I followed, jumping over a few briefcases as I did. Five managed to catch Luther's arm by the bar, "What is wrong with you? I just told you the world is going to end, and you walk away?"

"Yeah, you're always saying that," Luther shrugged.

"And so far, I've been right!"

I placed a calming hand on Five's shoulder. He glanced at me and took a deep breath as Luther spoke, "You two can go off and save the world all you want, I already have a job and I'm content with it."

"You can hold down a job?" I asked.

Luther glared at me, "I know a few ways to kill a man myself."

"You wouldn't get the chance."

"Stop, both of you," Five demanded, "A job doesn't matter, Luther, in ten days that job along with the rest of the world will be gone."

Luther crossed his arms, "I've spent an entire year alone, Five, you can't just expect me to up and leave the moment you pull the same shit you always pull."

"Luther, I-"

"You can't just appear out of nowhere and expect to get everyone back together again," Luther spat, "I've got a job, I've got a life, and I'm not going to turn my back on Mr. Ruby."

Five looked like he wanted to shout a million and one cuss words, but he restrained himself. I patted his shoulder and turned to Luther, "Mr. Ruby? As in, Jack Ruby?"

"That's him," Luther crossed his arms over his chest.

"Luther, you're working for a gangster closely tied to the assassination of JFK!" I whisper-shouted, "That's the exact kind of thing that disrupts timelines and starts apocalypses."

Luther shrugged, "It's been a year and nothing has happened."

"That's because it happens in ten days!" Five exclaimed, "We have to get the Umbrella Academy together and stop the apocalypse once and for all."

"The Umbrella Academy doesn't exist anymore and, if it does, it's without me."

"Luther-"

"I don't want to hear it," Luther raised his hands, "You can go off and save the world if you like, but I'm staying right here."

He didn't give either of us time to object, because he hurried off across the bar. In the distance, I could see Jack Ruby looking thoroughly annoyed with a drunken middle-aged man. Luther hurried off to deal with the problem, leaving Five and I alone.

Five fell into one of the seats at the bar and released a deep sigh. I sat next to him as he ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "Dad should've left him on the moon."

"Do you think he blames himself?" I asked, "For the apocalypse, I mean. Maybe that's why he doesn't want to help, he doesn't think he can."

I don't think anyone was to blame for the apocalypse, except perhaps Reginald Hargreeves himself. He was the one that tortured Vanya for so long, traumatizing her to the point where her only outlet was destroying the world. The rest of us, we all made our mistakes, some more than others but no one person was to blame for the apocalypse. Not Vanya, not Five, not even Luther.

"This isn't a matter of his self-confidence," Five leaned back, "It's the end of the world."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he stood. I jumped up with him, "Two apocalypses can be a lot for a single person, Five, you gotta help them out here."

"There's no time," Five glanced in his pocket, his eyebrows furrowed, "What's this?"

He pulled out a small yellow box and flipped it over in his hand. Glancing over his shoulder, I inspected it right along with him, "Video film? How'd you get that?"

"Hazel must've slipped it in my pocket before he died," Five flipped it over in his hands once again and read the writing on the back, "The Frankel Footage, November Twenty-Second, 1963."

I gasped, "That's the day the president is killed."

"And seven days from now," he stuffed the box in his pocket once again and turned to me, "I think we just got a lead."


	7. The Boys Are Here

We appeared in the main living room of Elliot's house to a single shout. As Five straightened his blazer and detoured straight to the wall of pictures, I turned to our new companions, "Evelyn, what're you doing here?"

Evelyn held a cup of tea and was brushing off the bits that spilled onto her skirt, "I didn't expect to see you materialize out of nothing."

"You'll get used to it."

"You won't," Elliot whispered, "I still get scared."

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and shrugged, "It takes more than a day to get used to it, Elliot."

I glanced over my shoulder to see Five absorbed in the photographs. Perhaps he was clinging to the last bits of his family he had left. They were out there, yes, but they were scattered and getting them together would be difficult in and of itself. They barely came together in time to stop the last apocalypse, who knows what they'll do with this one.

"I came to check on you," Evelyn stood and hurried to the kitchen, "An, I brought sandwiches. Have either of you eaten?"

She returned with two plates and gazed pointedly at Five and me. I elbowed him, but he simply brushed me off. Taking the plates from Evelyn, I smiled, "We haven't, thank you."

"I'm not hungry," Five muttered when I tried to give him his plate.

I frowned, "Five, you haven't eaten anything since you got here and you've been spatial jumping right and left."

"Clove, we don't have time for this."

"We can't stop the apocalypse if you starve yourself to death."

Five glared at me before taking the plate. He never once stopped gazing at the photographs lining the wall as he nibbled on his sandwich. I pushed myself to sit on the back of one of Elliot's armchairs and gazed at the photographs with him.

"Did you develop these yourself?" Five asked.

"Yes, of course," Elliot stood and moved to stand with Five, "I can't exactly take these to the local photomat, the government has eyes everywhere."

Evelyn appeared next to me, "I doubt they have eyes in the photomat."

"You would be surprised, Eve, it's better to be safe than sorry."

I wrinkled my eyebrows and glanced up at Evelyn, "Eve?"

Evelyn only shrugged. It seemed odd to call her anything but Evelyn, she had been Evelyn to me for so long, I don't think she could be anything else. I wasn't one for nicknames, they only confused me.

"Could you develop this?" Five spun around and held up the yellow box.

I could see he scratched out the date, which was probably for the better. Elliot seemed like a skittish person, the idea that we had footage from seven days in the future might make him have a heart attack. As is, when I told Evelyn I was from the future, she nearly fainted right then and there. For Evelyn, the most level-headed person I know, to react so dramatically to news of time travelers, I could only imagine how the faint-hearted Elliot would react.

Elliot took the film from Five and flipped it over in his hands, "Yeah, of course."

"How long?" Five left half of his sandwich uneaten on the counter.

I shot him the death glare. When I finally caught his eye, he glared back before dramatically sighing and picking up his sandwich. As he took a bite, I smiled triumphantly, making him roll his eyes.

"Well, I'm almost out of toner," Elliot mumbled, "I could go to Pete's, but that's ten blocks away. The photomat is closer, they carry toner too, but I'd have to cross the park and there's this infestation of pigeons. This is my favorite shirt and I don't want-"

"Elliot, focus," Five interrupted him, "How long?"

Elliot swallowed roughly, "Five? Maybe Six hours?"

"Perfect."

Five handed Elliot the footage and he flipped it over in his hands. Luckily, Elliot wasn't much of a curious person, despite his walls being covered head to toe in supposed 'evidence' of aliens. He was too wrapped up in his own mind and skewed beliefs to be curious about what was happening around him.

"The Frankel Footage," Elliot completely disregarded the scratched out date, "These friends of yours?"

Without missing a beat, Five replied, "Second cousins on my robot mother's side."

"Well, he's half right," I muttered, earning a confused glance from Evelyn.

Elliot shrugged and stuffed the film in his pocket. Five abandoned his empty plate on the nearby table and once again turned to the wall of photographs. His family gazed back at him, some looking sideways and others looking a different direction entirely, but they were all there. Moving to stand next to him, I whispered, "We'll find them, Five."

"I just hope we'll find them on time," he whispered back.

"When you've stopped one apocalypse, you've stopped them all," I playfully bumped his shoulder with my own, "Besides, we've got two extra days this time."

Five shook his head, "And no lead."

"We've got the Frankel Footage, maybe that's our glass eye."

Five glanced at me and chuckled. It was hard to forget the glass eye Five carried around for forty-five years only to have it be a dead end. In a way, it was a part of the apocalypse, Harold Jenkins was the fuse and that was his eye. The eye might have ended up not being much of a help, but it was connected with the apocalypse.

I glanced at Five to see him staring holes in the photographs. He looked much older than he actually was, both physically and mentally. Not even surviving in a post-apocalyptic wasteland wore him down this much. If I focused, I could have sworn I was actively watching his hair turn light gray. Knitting my eyebrows together, I rested a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye, "Five, it's going to be alright."

"We've lived through two apocalypses in our lifetime," Five muttered, "And now we're facing a third and I have no idea how to stop it."

"So, we'll figure it out. We always do."

Five gave me a small smile before turning back to the photographs, "What if they won't help us? Luther already told us off."

"Luther's a dick, can you really expect anything less? We'll make them help, Five, just like we did before," I gently grabbed his hand and squeezed, "We're a team, Five. You, me, and the rest of the Academy. We've faced everything else as a team, we'll face this too."

He gave my hand a squeeze, telling me everything he couldn't. A small smile crossed his lips as he glanced at his shoes in an attempt to hide it. Looking down with him, I snorted, "You really need new shoes."

"It's not like I have time to just pop by the store, Clove," Five rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Two apocalypses in two weeks, and you're facing both in bowling shoes."

Five and I both laughed. It felt right laughing with Five again, and we were genuinely laughing. Despite facing the end of the world yet again, we still found time to laugh.

Our laughter was interrupted by a nearby beeping. Five turned to Elliot's mound of equipment as I peered over his shoulder. One of the radios beeped, "3-14, possibly armed and dangerous."

"3-14?" Five stepped forward and leaned on the desk, "What's that?"

Elliot came up beside him, "Escaped convicts."

As Five leaned on the desk and listened to the radio, I crossed my arms under my chin and leaned on his back. Evelyn came up behind us just as I crossed my legs and laid my head on my side. The police radio continued, "Escaped from Willowbrooks sanatorium, all officers in the area are requested to respond."

"That's where Diego is," I gasped.

Five grimaced, "He finally broke out."

"Diego?" Elliot muttered, "Who's Diego?"

"Imagine Batman, then aim lower."

I stifled a laugh, "I'm telling him you said that, he's gonna have a fit."

"We don't have time for this," Five stood up and began to hurry down the stairs, "Come on, Clove, let's go get our brother before he does something stupid."

I jumped down the last two steps in an effort to catch up with him. He was speed walking down the streets, his hands hidden deep in his pockets and a set look on his face. His eyes were set forward as if he could already see Diego and was already chewing him out. I practically jogged to keep up with him, dodging people and benches all the way.

"Where are we going?" I dodged a light pole.

"The Texas book depository," Five turned a sharp corner, "Lee Harvey Oswald's shift ends in an hour."

"How do you remember that?"

During our time in the Commission, we had to know everything about our targets. In the case of President Kennedy's assassination, we had to know everything about Kennedy and everyone involved in his death. That meant knowing where they worked, what times their shifts were, their routines, their schedules, any changes, right down to the food they most liked to have for breakfast. It had been so long since we had gone over the information, albeit longer for me than Five, I couldn't understand how he remembered.

"I have a perfect memory," Five smirked at me, "After fifty years of friendship, I'd think you'd know that about me."

I crossed my arms, "After fifty years of friendship, I know you like to talk a big game but your memory isn't any better than mine."

"I beg to differ."

"Really? When's my birthday?"

"We have the same birthday, Clove."

"Trick question!" I exclaimed, "I don't have a birthday!"

I clasped my hands in front of me and smiled at him, wiggling my eyebrows in an attempt to make him laugh. Stifling a chuckle, he shook his head and muttered, "You're ridiculous."

"And, yet, you wouldn't know what to do without me."

Five chuckled and shook his head. We stopped abruptly at the end of the sidewalk just across from the Texas Book Depository. From there, we could see the old station wagon with a clearly broken window sitting dormant. The two people inside, however, were anything but dormant.

I could identify Diego from his exaggerated, slow movements. The person next to him, however, was unfamiliar to me. Five grabbed my arm and warped us to the backseat.

"Then why are you doing this?"

The person next to Diego was a girl around his age. She spoke with a heavily British accent and seemed much too relaxed for her own good. It was as if she knew the plot of this story and knew all of our movements before we even read the script. She was looking at Diego in the same way most of us did, with a wrinkled nose and eyes doing their best to process everything he was telling her. The rest of us often got the same dumbfounded look whenever Diego explained his latest hero complex.

"Because he is an idiot," Five interjected.

The girl jumped up, nearly hitting her head on the ceiling. I waved innocently as she glanced between Five and me, "Who the Hell are you two?"

"I'm his loving brother," Five grinned.

I tilted my head and smiled, "And I'm his annoying yet loveable friend."

"Hardly," Diego snorted, though I wasn't sure which of us he was talking to.

"Ouch," I feigned heartache, "You wound be, Diego, and after I gave you the tools to escape."

Diego turned to glare at me, "You made them lock me in the padded room."

"What? I did not!"

"You can't stay undercover for the life of you!" Diego spun around to glare at me, "They labeled you a 'suspicious character' and checked my pockets. When they found the tools, they threw me in the room."

I leaned back in the seat and crossed my arms, "Out of the two of us, I'm the suspicious one?"

"You left me in there to rot," Diego grumbled.

"I gave you a way out," I jerked forward to lean on the front chair and glare at him, "If I broke you out, we would've both been dead."

"Bullshit."

"The Commission is onto us, Diego, their assassins are already here," I spoke through gritted teeth, "If I broke you out, they would've been onto us."

The girl glanced at Diego, "Are those the Dutch assholes?"

"Shit, they found you," I grumbled.

Diego didn't respond. I fell back and glanced at Five, my eyes growing wide as I did. It felt like we were right back where we started from, with an apocalypse looming and Commission assassins hunting us down.

"Alright, all of you," Diego raised his hands, "Out!"

Five leaned forward, "You need to come with us, Diego, we have important business."

"Oh yeah? What kind of important business is more important than stopping the assassination of John F. Kennedy?"

I gazed at him with a blank face, "I don't know, maybe the end of the world?"

For a moment, Diego just looked at both of us. He glanced between Five and me. Both of us were completely serious, and he could see it in our faces. Despite this, he chuckled, "You're hilarious, Clove, but we don't have to worry about that for another fifty years."

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

"This is a different apocalypse, a new one," Five grimaced, "It followed us here and now the world ends in nine days."

Diego ran a hand down his face and sighed. Five leaned forward, glaring holes into his brother, "Lose the crazy lady and come with us."

"Uhm, my name is Lila," the woman interrupted.

I waved at her, "Hi Lila, I'm Clove, nice to meet you."

"Hardly," Five muttered, "Diego, we have to stop the apocalypse."

"This is Five, he's not much for pleasantries."

Lila glanced between us, "Charmed."

"I have to stop JFK's murder," Diego turned back to face the front, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Five leaned back in the chair and sighed. His eyes drifted out the window where they landed on a police officer. Just as he sprouted a devilish grin, I glanced around him and muttered, "Five, don't."

He scooted to the window and stuck his head out, "Officer!"

"Hey!" Diego grabbed his arm and jerked him back in, "What do you think you're doing?"

Five got right up in his brother's face, "I heard there's a reward out for you two. If you don't come with me, I'll send you back. I can't have you going around trying to save JFK and messing up the timeline."

An eerie sort of silence fell over the car. Lila and I both watched in nervous anticipation as the two brothers had a royal stare down. Ultimately, it was Diego who caved, "Fine, but I'm bringing the crazy lady."

"Again," she interrupted, "My name is Lila."

"You two are just like children," I muttered.

Diego fell back in the seat, "Look who's talking."

"Just drive," Five spoke as Lila turned on the car, "Back to Commerce and Knox."


	8. Time For A Bit of Improvisation

"A television store?" Diego crossed his arms.

Five shrugged, "It's not ideal, but it's the best we could do."

"It's either this or a bookstore," I followed my friend inside, "The bookstore does have wonderful tea."

Diego and Lila glanced at each other before following Five and I inside. We shuffled up the stairs, and I pretended I couldn't hear Diego and Lila muttering to each other. They leaned close and Lila kept biting her lip as she looked at Diego, making me roll my eyes. Glancing at Five, I mumbled, "They're disgusting."

"Children," Five glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes, "They're both children."

We made it upstairs and stood in a line at the very top. The entire place was eerily quiet, almost as if there was no life inside at all. It had been a long time since we saw Elliot and Evelyn, but I did expect them to be here when we got back.

"That's odd," Five muttered.

As if on cue, Evelyn suddenly burst out of the backroom and shouted, "Clove!"

"Evelyn?!" I was instantly on guard, "What's happening?!"

Elliot came bursting out after Evelyn. He had a shotgun held in his shaky hands and pointed directly at us. His face had gone decisively paler than it usually was, and he looked like he might pop a blood vessel at any moment. He hurried into the living room and cocked his gun, "Where'd you get the film? The Frankel Footage?"

"Elliot, no!" Evelyn shouted, "Put down the gun!"

"Not until they tell me the truth! The real truth!"

None of us, not even Lila, reacted. We all stood with blank stares as Elliot looked like he was losing his mind. Five sighed deeply as Diego muttered, "You know this lunatic?"

"New acquaintance," Five muttered, "He's harmless."

Lila leaned slightly closer, "He's holding a gun."

"He won't shoot."

"He might," I shrugged, "He is a bit cuckoo."

Diego laughed, "And they locked us up."

"Are you or are you not an enemy of the people?!" Elliot demanded.

"Elliot!" Evelyn shouted, "They're our friends!"

"Are you or are you not an enemy of the people?!"

For a moment, we all just stared at him. I stifled a laugh as Diego and Five exchanged glances. We all began to talk at the same time in the same monotone voice. Diego shrugged, "Well, that's such an open question if you think about it."

"It really depends on the people," Five muttered.

"You're gonna have to be a lot more specific there, pal," I crossed my arms and smirked.

Elliot took a step closer and held his gun even tighter, "You move one muscle and I will blow your brains out."

"Elliot!" Evelyn tried again, "What's happened to you? You're a kind man and you do not kill people!"

"Not unless they're threatening the country!"

I shook my head, "I've never understood American's unwavering patriotism."

"Aren't you American?" Diego leaned around Lila to gaze at me.

"Canadian. Honestly, Diego, after all our years of friendship and you didn't know that about me? Ouch."

"We've known each other two weeks."

"I've known you a lot longer than that."

"Shut up!" Elliot screamed, "Or I'll shoot you where you stand!"

It was obvious he wasn't going to shoot. His hands were too shaky and he couldn't seem to focus on one thing. The barrel kept moving between Five, Diego, Lila, and me to where it was more often directed away from us than towards us. Even his stance was off, one shot and he'd be blown backwards. He had a better chance of shooting himself than he did of shooting us.

"That's enough," Five glanced at me, "Care to do the honors, Clove?"

I stretched my fingers and grinned, "My pleasure."

With a single flip of my hand, a shield appeared around Elliot's gun. Five blinked to his side and hit him in the elbows, so his arms were ripped from the gun. Diego rushed in and tackled Elliot while Five retrieved his shotgun from my shield. I came up beside Five as he was pouring the bullets on the floor.

"It's a shame," I stuffed my hands in my pockets and watched Diego restrain Elliot, "He had so much potential too."

Five chucked the shotgun across the room, "He still does, he can still help us."

"With more harebrained theories?"

"With developed footage," Five grinned at me, "I think we can safely assume he finished developing the footage."

Evelyn came up next to us, wringing her hands together, "He saw it was about JFK's assassination and he lost it. He kept going on about aliens and Russians."

"That sounds like him," Five sighed, "Do you know where the footage is now?"

Evelyn pointed toward the kitchen, "In a projector, in the back."

"Wonderful. Diego, Clove, let's go."

"What about him?" Diego gestured to the man he was practically sitting on top of.

He already had Elliot tied up with the cord he ripped from the nearby blinds. Elliot had given up fighting long ago, fully knowing he couldn't defeat Diego, who had trained for years in combat just like this. His eyes kept jumping between us and the sweat on his forehead was already making a nice puddle beneath him.

"He needs to be restrained," Five's eyes fell on a nearby dentist's chair, "Perfect."

Five and I both moved to help Diego lift Elliot up. The man in question struggled, but it was no use. The three of us easily pinned him in the chair while Diego glanced over his shoulder at Lila and Evelyn, "Would one of you get us some rope?"

"Absolutely not!" Evelyn exclaimed as Lila ran off into the kitchen, "You can't just tie him up!"

I peered over Five to gaze at Evelyn with a deadpan expression, "We don't have much of a choice, Evelyn."

"He's a good man!"

"He pointed a gun at us."

"He was scared!"

"He's a liability," Five glanced at Evelyn, "The apocalypse is coming, and we do not have time to deal with him."

I chuckled, "Take a shot every time Five says we don't have time."

"I'm already drunk," Diego grinned as Lila returned with a rope.

"You're both ridiculous," Five shook his head.

I grinned at him, "Love you too, Five."

He didn't even object. The three of us worked together to get Elliot tied to the chair. Once he was perfectly secured, Diego used a dish towel to gag him. Lila pulled up a chair next to Elliot's dentist chair with neon green nail polish. She lifted one of his feet and began to paint his toes as Five turned to the projector.

"How does this thing even work?" Five mumbled.

Diego pushed himself up on a nearby counter and smirked, "I thought you could do everything."

"I can," Five spat, "Somethings just- take longer."

I peered over his shoulder and frowned, "Did you turn it on?"

"No, Clove, I'm completely stupid."

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Evelyn stepped up and began shooing us away, "Let me do it. You future people have no common skills."

Five and I exchanged glances and I shrugged. Evelyn had the projector up and running within a matter of seconds. The picture appeared on the nearby white wall as Diego flicked off the lights. All of us watched as an old lady appeared in the shot, "Is it on?"

She was much like a grandma in the sense that I felt like I could tell her anything. Even through the screen, I could smell freshly baked cookies and hear the creak of a rocking chair. Her hair was held back in a scarf but she kept fiddling with it as if it made her uncomfortable.

"I-I don't know," a man's voice came from off camera.

The camera began to shake as if the man was inspecting it. We saw more of the sky than we ever did of the couple, and even then the footage was much too blurry to make out much of anything. All of us watched in nervous anticipation as the couple tried to figure out the camera.

"What do you mean you don't know? Did you turn it on?"

"How do you turn it on?"

"I don't know, the thing-a-ma-jiggy."

"I love old couples," Lila commented as the woman took the camera from the man, "They're so adorable."

Diego shrugged, "I don't understand how they haven't killed each other yet."

"It's called love, Diego," I blinked my eyes at him teasingly.

He rolled his eyes at me as the man appeared in the footage. He stood and straightened his glasses, giving a sort of geekish grin that showed just how happy he was, "I-I'm Dan Frankel-"

"And I'm Edna Frankel," the woman's voice came from behind the camera.

"And we are in Dallas, Texas to see the president."

"The president?" Diego suddenly dropped his legs and leaned forward.

His interest had peaked despite being bored just moments ago. I glanced at him to see he had stopped blinking and was biting the inside of his lip. Five took a step forward, his eyes going red from staring at the makeshift screen for so long.

"Today's date is November 22, 1963."

"What?" Lila flung her head up to look at the screen, "That's six days from now."

"Six and a half, technically," I muttered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware we had to be so specific about film from the bloody future!"

I glanced at Lila before turning to Diego, "Is she always like this?"

"I don't like you," Lila muttered.

"Shut up, both of you," Diego waved us off, "This is it. The grassy knoll, Kennedy's about to get shot."

I muttered under my breath, "Wonder if we'll make an appearance."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"How do you have this?" Diego turned to Five.

Five glanced at Diego before turning back to the film, "Hazel died to get me this footage, it must be the key to stopping doomsday."

I stood up and moved to stand next to Five. We exchanged glances which said a thousand words all at once. If the JFK assassination was involved somehow, there was a high chance our past older selves were involved too. We could very easily be the ones that jump started doomsday, or almost did at least.

"Hazel?" Diego asked.

Five shook his head, "Long story."

"What's doomsday?" Lila's voice was high pitched.

"Longer story."

Evelyn took a step forward, "Why is JFK involved?"

"Longest story," Five glanced at me, "With any luck, the answer is in this film."

We glanced back at the film to watch Dan and Edna Frankel start to get excited over seeing the president. Horns were blaring in the distance in a tune that was reminiscent of old America, the sort of American dream that came with war and suburbia.

"Did he say anything before he died?" I asked, "Hazel, I mean."

Five shook his head, "No, he just had enough time to slip this into my pocket before the Ikea Mafia turned him into Swiss Cheese."

"Morbid."

"You have no idea."

"Why would he give you this?" Diego demanded.

Five shrugged, "I don't know, but the answer has to be on this tape."

All of our attention was diverted when we heard loud gunshots radiate from the film. Evelyn jumped behind Elliot's chair, her eyes never once leaving the film. Had he not been tied up, Elliot might have fallen off the chair. The only ones who didn't react were Five, Diego, and me. We all stared at the footage, fully knowing this was coming.

The people began to scream and run around, Edna Frankel nearly dropped the camera. People screamed, ran, and cried as we simply watched. Diego leaned forward and muttered, "Oswald."

Edna Frankle dropped the camera and it focused on one figure. For the fraction of a second, a man dressed all in black with a black umbrella came into view. He was the only one not reacting in a crowd of people losing their minds. When Five spotted him, he muttered, "Oh no."

"It can't be," Diego added.

"Evelyn," Five glanced back at the shocked woman, "Can you rewind the footage?"

Evelyn hurried to the side of the projector and jumped into action. She rewound the footage just a few seconds. As the camera dropped, Five exclaimed, "There! Pause it!"

Evelyn didn't hesitate in hitting the button. Five pushed the cart holding the projector back ever so slightly to better focus on the only figure in the shot. There, standing just across from the grassy knoll, dressed like it was a winter day in eighty degree weather, was a familiar figure. Diego practically fell off the counter as he muttered, "That's impossible."

"Clearly it isn't," Five moved up close to the projection.

Diego and I followed him. When we got closer to the figure, my eyes widened as I gazed up at his face. There, a little bit blurry but recognizable nonetheless, was Reginald Hargreeves. With his iconic umbrella he made even more iconic in the coming years, he stood as if he already knew what was happening. The entire world was crumbling around him, and he stood like a statue.

"Dad," Five and Diego both breathed.

"That's impossible," I crossed my arms, "It can't be him."

Five never one tore his gaze from the figure of his father, "Clearly, it is him, Clove."

We all gazed up at Reginald Hargreeves and I wrinkled my nose. There was a photograph of him displayed on the bar of the Hargreeves mansion just before we all destroyed the world. It was a recent picture, taken in 2019, and it looked exactly the same as the man I was staring at from 1963. The same straight stance, the same wrinkled skin, and the same graying hair.

"No, Five, listen, it can't be him," I turned to Five and Diego and pointed up at the figure of their father, "Do you notice anything odd about him?"

Five tilted his head, but it was Diego that pointed it out, "He looks the exact same."

"Exactly! We are fifty-six years in the past-"

"I'm sorry, in the past?" Lila interrupted.

"Yes, we're time travelers, keep up," I didn't even look at her, "The last time you saw him is fifty-six years from now, how is it that he looks exactly the same?"

"It could just be the footage making him look older," Diego suggested.

I shook my head, "He would have to be a child or a teenager in order to be in the state he was in the last time you saw him."

"That doesn't make any sense," Five muttered.

"If he really is as old right now as he looks in this film, he would be dead by 2019."

They knew I was right, but it was still hard to deny the fact that the man they were looking at looked exactly like their Father. Even I couldn't deny it, and I had never met the man. As illogical as it was, the umbrella man in the footage looked too much like Reginald Hargreeves.

"There's only one way to find out," Five stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced between Diego and me, "We have to find him."

Diego crossed his arms, "And how do we do that?"

"If only there was some old-timey way of finding people and their addresses."

Five gazed at Diego expectantly, but the man was completely oblivious. I peered over Five's shoulder and smiled, "He means a phonebook."

Moments later, Diego dropped a large phonebook on the kitchen table. In it was a list of every person and their address and phone number within the greater Dallas metropolitan area. The book itself was so large, it could easily be used as a projectile that could take someone's head off. Diego bent over it as Five and I crowded around his side. Five leaned on the table, and I leaned on him, as Diego opened the phonebook.

"Hargreeves, Hargreeves," Diego ran his finger down the H-names, "Shit, nothing."

Five frowned, "Try his company, D.S. Umbrella Manufacturing Co."

"Yeah, I'm familiar."

Diego flipped the book to a different page and began to run his finger down the names once again. Tapping furiously, he muttered, "Holy shit."

"So, he really is in Dallas," I gazed down at the address for D.S. Umbrella Manufacturing Company.

"It seems so, and we need to go find him," Five stated, "Maybe he can tell us what causes doomsday."

I glanced at Five, "How would he know any better than us?"

"He always knew doomsday was coming, maybe he'll know what causes this one as well."

I crossed my arms as Five stood up straight and Diego closed the phone book. Something about this was still suspicious to me, from how Hazel died getting this footage to Five all the way to how Reginald Hargreeves looked the exact same in 1963 as he did in 2019. Scientifically, it was impossible, but all the rest of us defied science for our entire lives, I suppose nothing was impossible.

"I don't like it," I muttered as Diego went off to find Lila, "Something seems off."

Five straightened his blazer and sighed, "I don't like it either, but it's our only choice."

"We figured it out on our own last time, why can't we do it again this time?"

"Clove, Hazel died getting me this footage," Five's voice dropped as he looked me dead in the eyes, "It has to be important, finding our Father had to be important."

His voice cracked when he said the word Father. I turned to him and looked him straight in the eye. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, I knew him, and I could tell when he was nervous. He kept straightening his tie and shoving his hands in his pockets, his eyes never once staying on one thing. I gently rested my hands on his shoulders in an effort to bring him back to Earth, "Five, are you alright?"

"It's been forty-five years since I've seen the old man," Five muttered just loud enough for us to hear, "All those years, I heard his voice in my head saying 'I told you so', I'm not keen on hearing it for real."

I squeezed his shoulders and smiled, "Five, if this man is your father, he's not the father you know. It's twenty-six years before he meets you all, he has no idea who you are and cannot say I told you so."

Five didn't meet my eyes. Tilting my head in order to look at him better, I grinned, "Besides, you saved the world, if anything he should be thanking you."

"Did you hit your head?" Five teased, "We destroyed the world, then I scattered everyone I care about across the timeline in Dallas."

"And you brought us back together again to stop doomsday once and for all."

"Not everyone, there's only three of us."

"And you've only been here a day. The others will come, Five, and we'll stop doomsday again. You wanna know how I know?"

Five met my eyes and chuckled. Despite knowing exactly what was coming, he played along, "How do you know?"

"Because I'm the Lucky Clover," I winked.

Five chuckled as Diego returned. Glancing at our grinning faces, he asked, "Did I miss something?"

"Not at all, my friend," I grinned at him.

"That doesn't help your case."

"I wasn't aware I had a case."

Five shook his head and interrupted as Diego was about to respond, "Come on, we don't have time for this, we need to go find Dad."

I glanced between Five and Diego and saw the nervous looks on both their faces. As much as I wanted to go and support them, I knew it wasn't my place. Five had been my family for nearly half a century, and the rest of the Hargreeves were becoming my family as well, but I had never met Reginald Hargreeves. His adoptive kids might be my family, but he wasn't. He was their father, not mine, and they were the ones who needed to confront him. In the way Five glanced at me, I could tell, even if he didn't know it himself, this was something he wanted to face with Diego.

"You two go ahead," I took a step back and smiled, "I'll stay here and see if I can find the others."

Diego lifted an eyebrow, "How are you going to do that?"

"We can go back to the bookstore," Evelyn, who I had practically forgotten was there, stepped away from Elliot's chair, "Maybe someone else found Clove's umbrella?"

Diego glanced at me, "Your umbrella?"

"Long story," I waved him off, "Point is, we'll look for the others while you two go find Mister Monocle Guy. It's two birds with one stone."

Diego and Five exchanged glances. Diego shrugged as Five turned to me, "Alright, we'll be back tonight."

"You better," I crossed my arms, "I already spent ten months alone, don't make me go through that again."

"Clove," Evelyn gently pushed my shoulder.

"Sorry, alone with Evelyn."

"That's better."

"We won't," Five rolled his eyes, "I'll see you tonight, Clove."

I smiled, "Good luck to the both of you."

"We don't need it," Five called as he and Diego headed to the stairs, "We've got the Lucky Clover."

He winked at me, causing me to roll my eyes. I waved at them as they stepped through the door and vanished behind the boarded up windows. Turning to Evelyn, I grinned, "Let's go see if anyone found our umbrella, shall we?"


	9. I'm Not Legally Required To Do This

Evelyn and I left just after Diego and Five. We left Elliot tied up with Lila still hiding away in the closet turned dark room. I could hear her sniffling when I passed the door, she had been crying just moments before and I had a feeling I couldn't help her. My instinct was always to help someone who needed it, but I had no idea how to comfort Lila when I had only met her a few hours ago. I told myself she needed some alone time as Evelyn and I left Elliot's store.

The wind had picked up and left a biting sort of chill on everyone it touched. I pulled my sleeves down over my hands and wrapped my arms around myself, "Is it always this cold in Texas?"

"Not usually," Evelyn buried her face in her coat collar, "Even for late November, it's freezing."

When we rounded a corner, the wind nearly blew us over. Evelyn gripped onto my arm and did her best to steady the both of us. As we fought against the wind, I finally had enough of it. In the sleeves of my sweater, I flicked my hand and a nearly invisible shield appeared around us. The only way you could tell it was there was from the small bolts of blue energy that surged around us.

"Clove!" Evelyn whispered.

I glanced at her, "What did I do?"

"Take it down!"

"Take what down?"

"Your shield!"

"Would you rather face the wind?" I gestured to a paper flying across the street.

Evelyn glanced around, "What if someone sees you?"

"Evelyn, there's literally no one."

"We can't risk it," Evelyn gripped my arm, "You said it yourself, time assassins are after you. If they spot your shield, we'll be surrounded."

As much as I wanted to argue, I could see she was genuinely worried. Sighing deeply, I flicked my hand once again and the shield fell. We were instantly hit with a blast of air cold enough to make my teeth chatter, "Happy now?"

"Very," Evelyn smiled, "Thank you."

I rolled my eyes, causing Evelyn to chuckle. We took the rest of the short walk in almost complete silence, save for our rushed breathing and chattering teeth. When the bookstore came into view, I almost sighed in relief. Warmth was right around the corner and all I wanted was a nice cup of warm tea and the fluffy blankets Evelyn had lying around.

"Oh, I can't wait to wrap myself in blankets," I muttered, "I'm about to go full burrito."

Evelyn ran her hands down her arms, "Do you think this has anything to do with the end of the world?"

"What?"

"It's not usually this cold," Evelyn glanced at me, "Perhaps it's a side effect of the apocalypse."

I glanced around and shrugged, "The apocalypse was pretty cold."

"That's reassuring."

We came to the sidewalk just across the street from the bookstore. As we began to cross the street, I paused. Grabbing Evelyn's arm, I pulled her back, my eyes on the dark entrance to the store, "Evelyn, did you leave the door open?"

"No, I would never," Evelyn followed my gaze to the gaping hole where the door should be, "Oh dear."

Alarm bells were going off in my head. I could feel energy surge through me as tiny bits of shields sparked between my fingers. There was someone in there, I could feel it. The door Evelyn was always so diligent on locking was wide open, but all the lights were off. As we approached the door, I could hear absolutely nothing coming from inside, something which only alarmed me further.

"Evelyn, go back to Elliot's place," I muttered.

Evelyn gripped my arm, "What about you?"

"I'll handle this."

"I'm not leaving you alone, Clove."

"And I'm not letting you go with me," I responded, "Evelyn, I'm a highly trained assassin with super powers. I've got this."

Evelyn bit her lip, but nodded. I left her standing in the middle of the street as I stalked towards the front door. A draft was coming from the gaping hole, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. A shiver went down my spine as I clenched my fists and took a single step forward.

I stepped into the bookstore and it felt like I stepped into a different dimension. All the sounds of the city were gone leaving only impenetrable silence. It enveloped me in a thick blanket, bringing along its smothering friend darkness.

The light switch was all the way on the opposite side of the store by the counter. Slowly, I made my way in that direction, keeping my guard up and my hands ready to make a shield at any moment. Nothing moved, there wasn't a single sound in the entire building. Not even the fans in the corner were blowing, leading me to believe someone had turned them off and there was a strong chance that someone was still here.

When I felt the counter under my fingertips, I got the strong sense I was being watched. It suddenly became very apparent that I was not alone in there. I could feel a presence, or multiple presences, taking up what had once been empty air. They were quiet as mice, but I could still feel them.

My fingers slipped behind the counter and quickly found the light switch. In one swift move, I flicked it on and all the lights popped on at once. With the lights on, I could finally see the two people who had been following me this entire time.

"Shit," I muttered.

I threw up a shield just in time for one of them to throw a knife at me. Another flipped onto the counter and plunged a knife deep into my shield, making it shatter like glass. I jumped out of the way as the first lunged towards me.

They were not any assassins I had ever met or heard of. They were identical girls in their early twenties, I could tell by their wrinkle free skin and keen senses. Their matching black hair was kept back in tight buns, and their clothes allowed them to blend into the 1960s without having their movement restricted.

Their clothes are what threw me off at first. One wore a full cotton bodysuit made popular much later in the sixties. It was dark red and matched the dark red sneakers on her feet. Her weapons were tucked into her belt, and I couldn't help but notice how neither of them ever touched their guns.

Her sister, twins I presume based upon how identical they were, went for a more casual look. She wore a simple sweater not too unlike my own with worn bell bottom jeans. It wasn't one of the more iconic sixties looks, but it allowed her to blend in nonetheless.

Another knife came flying towards me and I ducked just in time for it to lodge itself in a copy of Anne of Green Gables. Grabbing the knife, I flipped it over in my hands and grinned, "Knives? Really? Lady, do you know who I have to put up with everyday?"

I smirked and dove directly into the fight. As the girl in a jumpsuit lunged at me, I grabbed her wrist and flipped her over my shoulder, making her land on her face. Before she was even on the ground, the other girl was running to tackle me, but I flipped the knife over in my hand and plunged it into her thigh.

The girl on the ground flipped her legs around and was able to kick my feet out from under me. I landed on my back just in time for her to dig her sneakers into my chest. I struggled to get her off, ultimately blowing her off with a shield.

The Twins worked together in perfect unity. They didn't have to speak to know each other's every move. They attacked together, they retreated together, and they used combo moves I couldn't even begin to deflect. I was struggling and we were only a few minutes into the fight.

"You might as well give up now," I tried to hide just how much I was struggling, "I don't know what they told you back at the Commission, but I'm sort of unbeatable."

I placed a nice kick on the chest of sweater Twin. As I spun around to deal with the other, I was met with a punch to the face and a knife being driven into my thigh. The girl kicked me in the chest, making me fall to the ground, as I cried out in pain. She jumped on top of me, pinning my arms to my side and holding a knife to my throat.

"Who-who are you," her knees were squeezing my chest tightly.

The girl only smirked. If she was about to speak, she didn't get the chance, because a shrill shriek filled the bookstore. A book connected to the back of the girls head and she fell off of me. Standing behind her was Evelyn with a fairly thick dictionary held over her head and a terrified look on her face.

"Evelyn!" I shouted as I kicked the sweater Twin in the face, "I thought I told you to go back!"

"Super powers or not, I couldn't just leave you alone!"

"Evelyn, you're a badass!"

"Language!"

I jumped up and blew back the advancing bodysuit twin with a shield, "Really? Now?!"

"Yes, really!" Evelyn flung her dictionary at the sweater Twin.

I jumped to stand next to Evelyn and nearly fell over. She caught my arm just before I fell over. As I threw fully formed shields at the twins, knocking them in their stomachs and shoving them into bookshelves, Evelyn looked at the bloodstain forming on my jeans and the knife still buried deep in my thigh, "Clove."

"What?" I flung two more shields that made the bookshelves fall on top of the twins.

"There's a knife!" Evelyn shrieked, "In your thigh!"

"Is there? I didn't notice."

"How could you not notice the knife fully buried in your thigh?!"

"Practice, mostly," I threw up a shield just as two knives came flying towards us, "We have more pressing matters to attend to, Evelyn!"

It became glaringly obvious that I couldn't win this battle. They were good, I'll give them that, good enough to make me want to retreat. If I was the only one in danger, there was a chance I could win, but not if half of my focus had to go into protecting Evelyn. Our only chance was to get out of there, and get out fast.

The Twins knew it too. They were strategically positioned between us and the door, advancing slowly in order to corner us. My energy was draining and I wasn't sure how many shields I had left in me. We had to get out and, to do that, we had to go through the two deadly sisters.

"We have to get out of here," I caught one of the knives in my shield and dropped it into my hand, "This isn't a fight we can win."

Evelyn threw a book at the same time I threw a knife, together we hit both twins, "We can go out the backdoor, I still have a key."

"You go, I'll cover you!"

Without hesitation, Evelyn spun on her heel and rushed towards the back. She had to duck knives as she did, but she made it safely. All the while, I was making shields around my hands and using them as projectiles to knock over the twins. I managed to fling them into a nearby bookshelf which went down with them, creating a domino effect until they were buried in shelves and books.

"Ha!" I exclaimed, "I've still got it!"

"Clove! Come on!" Evelyn shouted.

I began to hurriedly limp towards the backdoor. The adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me from feeling the knife buried all the way to the hilt in my thigh, but I knew it was only a matter of time until I couldn't walk. As is, just by hobbling to the backroom, I could feel fiery flares of pain run up and down my leg.

Evelyn was jiggling the keys in the door when I hobbled to her. I leaned against the wall and huffed, "Oh I am really beginning to feel this knife."

"You're only feeling it now?!" Evelyn continued to wiggle the keys in the lock.

"What can I say, my adrenaline is a superpower."

"I thought making force fields was your superpower?"

"I'm just full of surprises."

Evelyn's bookstore had one been a thriving diner. The only thing leftover was a serving window on the wall separating the back room and the main shopping floor. Evelyn usually kept books lined up in it, and, through that hole, I could see the twins rising from the crumbled bookshelves. They had a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises but otherwise, they were alright.

"How many times do I have to kill them?" I muttered, "Evelyn, go faster!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, the lock is stuck!" Evelyn resorted to kicking the metal door and wincing when her toes cracked.

"Evelyn!"

The Twins jumped into action. One came through the window while the other slid through the door. I managed to block the one sliding through the door, but the one coming through the window managed to grab Evelyn by her collar and her arm and fling her through the serving window. I heard several crashes followed by a meek yelp.

"Hey asshole!" I shouted, "Nobody treats my friend that way!"

My focus was on the twin who had just thrown Evelyn across the room. I didn't notice the twin behind me bring out a large bottle and start splashing the entire room. I lunged toward the first twin, the one with a sweater, and threw a punch.

She easily blocked me. Fist fighting was pointless as we were both equally trained and equally matched, but the knife in my thigh gave her the upper hand. She threw a kick and I didn't have time to block it. She sent me flying against the wall, where she was quickly on top of me with her hand to my throat.

She slowly pushed me up the wall by my neck. I couldn't breath, and I struggled for a moment, gasping for air. With my one good leg, I kicked around, but the sweater twin easily dodged. I gripped her wrist and choked out, "You're pretty good, I'll give you that."

With my exhale, a shield formed beginning at my chest and exploding out. It blew back both Twins, flinging them against the opposing wall. I fell to the ground and took a deep breath, taking just a moment to let my blood start pumping again and my vision return to normal. As soon as I stood, my shield vanished, and I sprinted towards the door.

Evelyn was still collapsed behind the counter. She was covered in books, but she seemed alright. She was grunting and moving her head, telling me she was alive at least. When I rounded the corner, I exhaled a sigh of relief, "You're not dead, thank God."

Evelyn opened her eyes just in time to see the Twins lunge forward and tackle me. I hit the ground in furious flares of pain, and I could feel the knife digging even deeper into my thigh. While one twin pinned my arms and legs to my sides, the other grabbed the nearest object. She slammed a book into my head and I blacked out for just a moment.

I came back around just moments later to the sharp smell of gasoline. It entered my nose and burned my nose hairs, making me hack. I vaguely realized someone had a tight grip on my ankles as was dragging me over scattered books and loose pages.

My vision was still blurry and I could feel my head throbbing. In the distance, I could see Evelyn's eyes pop out from behind the counter. We both watched as the bodysuit Twin, the one not dragging me out of the bookstore, quickly ran a match down the side of the box she pulled out of her pocket. Her grin illuminated in the small flame, she dropped the match onto the ground and instantly, a fire exploded and was quickly spreading.

"No!" I screamed as the Twins dragged me out onto the street, "No, Evelyn!"

"Clove!" Evelyn shrieked.

I barely had time to think about why they were taking me somewhere instead of just killing me. The fire was blazing between Evelyn and the exit, it even blazed in the backroom. She was trapped, I could still see her terrified eyes even as the Twins pulled me off of the sidewalk.

Once again, adrenaline went flying through me. I kicked the bodysuit twin in the stomach and flung up a shield that threw both Twins across the street. Scrambling to stand, I nearly tripped and was very tempted to finally pull the knife out of my leg. Five's voice in my head telling me to leave it to keep the blood in my body kept me from doing it, however, as I sprinted straight to the open door of the burning bookstore.

Evelyn was screaming inside. I hesitated at the edge of the flames and took a deep breath. Flinging out my hands, I created a thick shield and plunged straight into the fire. My shield managed to keep the flames around me away, but it would only last so long. The flames ate away at the blue energy surging around me and, by the time I made it to Evelyn, my shield had withered away.

Fire licked at my body as I crouched next to Evelyn. She was covered in soot and coughing. Without hesitation, I made another shield around the both of us. This one was crumbling a whole lot faster. I looked down at Evelyn and winced, "Evelyn, we have to go, this shield won't hold very long."

Evelyn let me help her up. Soon, we were leaning against each other and struggling to get out of the bookstore. I had to remake my shield twice, in the time it was down both of us were burned. Smoke filled our lungs by the time we made it to the front door.

Rafters were already crumbling whenever we crossed the threshold. It only barely registered in the back of my mind that there was no salvaging this bookstore. It was gone, everything was gone, Evelyn's home and my home for the past ten months was gone.

When we crossed the threshold of the door, there was a loud boom followed by both of us flying across the street. We landed on the concrete and pain flared up my body. My shield collapsed just in time to see the exploded bookstore crumble into nothing but fire and ash.

Evelyn and I watched, sitting side by side, and the entire place burned. We were burned, bloodied, bruised, and broken, but none of that mattered as we watched the flames reach towards the sky. Evelyn cupped her own cheeks in her hands as tears fell down her eyes, "It's-it's gone."

"I'm sorry," my voice could barely go above a whisper, "I'm sorry, Evelyn."

She didn't respond, her eyes were still glued to the burning building. Sirens appeared in the distance and the fire trucks and police cars appeared moments later. None of them noticed us as they hurried to try and put out the blaze. It didn't matter anyways, the building was already gone, and with it went the home inside.

"Clove!"

That voice reached over the sounds of sirens and flames. My ears perked up as I flung my head around. Five was at my side before I even registered what was happening. He fell onto his knees next to me and looked me up and down, "Holy shit, Clove."

"Five?" I blinked rapidly, "What're you doing here?"

He gently grabbed my chin in order to inspect the wound on the top of my head, "I was on my way back from looking for Dad, and I heard the explosions. Clove, what happened?"

It registered in my mind that Five really and truly was right in front of me. A heavy weight quickly left my shoulders and I practically fell into him. Five wrapped his arms around my shoulders as I buried my face in his chest. My adrenaline kicked off and I felt like I could easily fall asleep right there. The sirens and shouts filling the street didn't matter, I was with my family again and I felt safe.

"Time assassins," Evelyn muttered.

"Time assassins?" Five glanced at Evelyn before looking down at me, "The Commission?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, "I don't know."

Something told me they weren't Commission assassins. They didn't move the same, they had different fighting styles and their weapons weren't Commission issued weapons. Most of all, the Twins didn't try to kill me like corrections agents were supposed to, they tried to kidnap me. Even concerning Five's and my relationship with the Commission, that was unusual.

"Shit," Five muttered when he saw the knife still buried deep in my thigh, "We've got to get you back to Elliot's."

He shifted in front of me and my eyes landed on his neck. His blazer was absorbing a fair amount of blood trickling from the three scratches in his neck. Without hesitation, I grabbed his shoulder with one hand and forced him to look up with the other so I could inspect his wound, "Five, you're hurt."

"I'm hurt?" he pushed me off and gestured to my leg, "Clove, there's a knife in your leg."

"I've had worse, you're bleeding."

"And you're not?!"

"I'm not dead yet, am I?"

"Neither am I," Five looked me in the eyes and I could see just how worried he was, "It's just a few scratches. We have to get you back before you bleed out, Clove."

His eyebrows were knit together in worry and he never once let go of my arm. Gripping onto his arm as well, I nodded. He jumped up and turned to help both Evelyn and me up. Evelyn kept her arms wrapped around herself as she walked beside us, tears steadily pouring down her cheeks but no sounds coming out. Five flung one of my arms around his shoulder and began to help me down the street.


	10. Aren't Those The Fucks From Texas?

Evelyn didn't say a single word all the way back to Elliot's place. The only sounds she made came from her sniffles, I could see tears pouring down her cheeks and making lines in the soot. Every so often, I would glance at her to see she was still trembling and still had her arms wrapped tightly around her.

"She'll be alright," Five whispered as if reading my mind, "She's in shock."

I bit my lip, "Her whole life just burned down because of me."

Evelyn was a few steps in front of us, just barely out of earshot. I watched her round the corner into the alley behind Elliot's place and vanish from sight. Five and I were close to follow. We turned the corner as Five spoke, "What happened isn't your fault, Clove. The Commission will stop at nothing to take us down."

"Good thing they won't get the chance," I hobbled in as Five shut the door behind us.

Five wrapped my arm around his shoulders once again, "Not if we get out of 1963."

Rather than struggle to get up the stairs, Five warped us both to the very top. We appeared next to Evelyn who was just opening the door. She barely even looked at us as she pushed open the partially glass door.

"Hold still!"

Lila was practically straddling Diego whenever we stepped inside. He was half naked and looked like he was dying right there on the couch. In one hand, Lila held a curling iron, and in the other a metal rod. She glanced up and watched Evelyn shuffle into Elliot's bedroom, "What happened to you lot?"

"Long story," I muttered as Five helped me sit on the armchair, "Why is Diego half naked?"

"That's what I said," Diego muttered.

Five moved to a nearby table and began sifting through the First Aid Kit Lila had already opened, "I thought you were killed."

"Disappointed?" Lila asked.

"To see you? Always."

"Five!" I threw a pillow at him, which he easily dodged, "Be nice to Diego's girlfriend."

Diego groaned, "She's not my girlfriend."

In response, Lila pressed the burning rod into his wound, making him scream out in agony. He pushed her away and scowled as she smirked at him. She jumped off just in time for him to try and sit up. Groaning, he sat forward and his eyes fell on my leg, "Clove."

"Yeah?" I was watching Five decide between two rolls of gauze.

"There's a knife in your thigh."

"It's still there?" I glanced at my leg, "I thought I took that thing out hours ago."

Five warped next to me with a roll of gauze, a needle, and some thread, "I wouldn't let you, it was the only thing keeping the blood in your leg until we got back."

He knelt next to my leg and gestured for me to stick it out. Grunting, I lifted my leg and braced my foot on the nearby coffee table. Five unrolled the gauze and glanced up at me, "You might want to hold onto something, this is going to hurt."

"I've had worse," I spoke through gritted teeth.

I yelped only slightly when Five jerked the knife from my leg. Blood started gushing out, but Five quickly stopped the bleeding with his gauze. As he started sewing up my leg, I gazed at him, "You need some of that gauze too."

"It's just a scratch, Clove," Five muttered.

"It's a deep scratch, Five, if you don't put something on it, it'll get infected."

Five glanced up to just barely meet my eyes, "Alright, when I'm done bandaging your leg I'll take care of my scratches."

"Thank you."

Five smiled slightly and shook his head. When he tied off the end of the thread and cut it, he moved to wrapping gauze around the wound. Diego was still struggling to get up and only managed when Lila helped him. She pulled him upright and helped him slouch on the couch. Through groggy eyes, he gazed at me, "You got shanked too?"

"By a couple of assassins," I muttered, "You?"

"My Dad."

"Ouch, that's worse."

"You have no idea."

"We have less time than I thought," Five tightened the bandages on my leg, making me wince, "The Commission sent two sets of assassins after us."

Lila glanced between Five, Diego, and me with a look of confusion across her face. Diego waved her off as if to say he'd explain later while I leaned forward and gazed at Five, "The Commission never sends two sets of assassins on a single mission."

"They've also never hunted down an entire superhero family before," Five finished tying off my bandages.

"Something isn't right," I muttered, "The Commission kills people, every time they've come after us, they've come to kill. These assassins- these twins- they were trying to kidnap me."

Five flung his head up to look at me, "Kidnap you?"

"They dragged me out of the bookstore just after they lit it on fire. I just managed to escape and get Evelyn."

"That is strange," Five moved to sit on the coffee table as I gently dropped my leg, "Corrections Agents only kidnap when it will get them closer to their target."

I took the gauze from him and pushed his chin up so I could see his scratches. He grabbed a bottle of ointment nearby and handed it to me to pour on the gauze. Gently, I began cleaning his wound, "Perhaps they were kidnapping me to lure you in so they could kill us both?"

"It's the only explanation," Five winced when the ointment hit his wound.

He was right, but I still didn't like it. The Commission didn't kidnap, it just wasn't in their forte. They only kidnapped to get information about their target or lure them into a trap, like when Hazel and Cha Cha kidnapped Klaus back in 2019 for information on Five and me. It didn't sit right with me that they would kidnap me to lure Five in and kill us both, they've never done that in the past. That wasn't how the Commission worked and it never had been.

Something was fishy, but I chalked it up to paranoia. The Twins had to be with the Commission, who else would send assassins after us? Only the Commission, who had control over all of time and space, could possibly know we landed in 1963 and we did not belong here.

When I finished cleaning up Five's wound, he stood and turned to the countless machines Elliot had set up. He took one step and glanced into the kitchen, "You didn't untie him?"

"Was I supposed to?" Lila asked.

I pushed myself over the back of the armchair to see Elliot still tied to his dentist chair. He was fast asleep, dampening his gag with endless amounts of drool. Five shoved his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes before heading to Elliot to untie him.

My eyes moved to Elliot's dark bedroom. Grunting, I pushed myself up and hobbled toward the First Aid Kit. My thigh still ached, but I was slowly getting used to it. When you've been stabbed once, you've been stabbed a thousand times, eventually you learn to just walk it off. Grabbing gauze and alcohol cleaning wipes, I limped into the bedroom.

Evelyn was curled up in the fetal position on the bed. For a moment, I just stood at the end of the bed and gazed at her. She barely moved a muscle, I wasn't even sure she was breathing. Sucking in a deep breath, I sat next to her and laid my hand on her shoulder, "Come on, Evelyn, let's get you cleaned up."

She didn't respond. I felt a pang in my heart as I bit my lip. This was my fault, I should have known better than to drag her into this chaotic world I lived in. She was a kind soul with a tender heart that was easily broken, and she had just watched her entire life burn to ash in front of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "This is my fault, I should've protected you better, and I'm sorry."

There was only silence, she didn't even move. Taking in a sharp breath, I pushed myself back onto my feet and laid the supplies on the bedside table. Taking one last glance at Evelyn, I hobbled over to the door where I stalled.

"You don't have to be sorry," Evelyn's weak voice barely reached my ears.

I glanced over my shoulder at her, "What?"

"They're just objects," Evelyn rolled over to look at me, "Objects can be replaced, lives can't. We made it out of there because of you, we're safe because of you."

I smiled, "I can't take all the credit, you did hit a highly trained assassin with a dictionary."

"I did do that, didn't I?" Evelyn giggled.

I smiled. She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. Leaning on the doorframe, I tilted my head, "You know, Evelyn, I understand if you want to leave. This can be scary and-"

"Oh, no, I'm not going anywhere," she looked up at me and grinned, "I said I wanted an adventure, and Dadgummit, I'm getting one."

We met eyes and I couldn't help but laugh. Evelyn laughed right along with me, wiping her eyes and bringing soot off with her. Shaking my head, I muttered, "Get some rest, Evelyn, we've got more adventures ahead of us."

Evelyn had curled back into a fetal position when I gently shut the door behind me. The more I did it, the easier it became to walk, and I was walking almost perfectly normal whenever I returned to the living room. Falling back onto the same armchair I had vacated just moments ago, I released a deep sigh.

Lila was once again straddling Diego, who was doing his best just to wince when she pushed the hot rod into his wound. Elliot walked in with a bowl of cereal, wincing when he saw the rod plunge into Diego's knife wound, "That looks like it hurts."

"Shut up, Elliot," Diego grunted through gritted teeth.

"Don't be rude," Lila slightly whacked the side of his chest, "He's a nice guy, doesn't deserve that."

"I'm not being rude, I'm- ah!"

Diego shouted when Lila unexpectedly pushed the hot rod into his wound once again. Five appeared from the kitchen with two mugs in his hand. Sitting on the arm of my chair, he handed me one as he gazed at Diego, "I think that's enough."

"Now she's just having fun with it," I smirked as I took a sip of the tea Five made.

"I can't say I blame her."

Diego glared at his brother as I gently hit him on the shoulder. He looked down at me and shrugged, smirking into his coffee. Diego shouted once more before Lila finally started packing up her tools.

A loud beeping overtook the room, making me wince and cover my ears. Five quickly took both of our cups and placed them on the coffee table as Elliot pushed his chair to the source of the noise, "Hey! One of those machines you asked for is going off."

"Which one?" Five warped himself to stand just behind Elliot.

I pushed myself up and moved to stand behind Five. As he leaned over Elliot's shoulder, I leaned over his, bracing my chin on his shoulder and smirking. He didn't make any notion that he even realized I was there.

"The uh- atmospheric radar," Elliot answered.

"Atmospheric radar?" I muttered, "What's that?"

"It tracks things in the atmosphere."

"Well no shit, what are we using it for?"

"Soundwaves," Five stood straight, his eyes still glued to the flashing green screen, "Where's it coming from?"

Elliot leaned closer to the screen, "Uh, it looks like it's just outside of town."

He pushed his chair over to a map of Dallas he had plastered to the wall. As he compared the radar screen to the map, I glanced at Five, "Soundwaves?"

He turned to look at me and smirk. With that smile alone, it clicked in my mind who he was looking for. A gasp escaped my lips as I muttered, "Vanya."

"It's coming from a cornfield," Elliot traced the road with his finger, "One just East of Dallas."

Five grinned and began to head towards the stairs. Without hesitation, I followed him, neither of us sparking a glance to the almost fully unconscious Diego and worried looking Lila. When we made it to the top of the stairs, Five paused, "Clove, stay here."

"No way," I began to make my way down the stairs, glancing over my shoulder at him, "We're a team, Five, you're not leaving me behind that easily."

"I'm not leaving you behind, Clove, I'm leaving you to heal."

"I don't need to heal."

"You had a knife in your leg up until twenty minutes ago, you need to rest."

"We don't have time to rest."

Five shook his head, "Those words are going to come back to bite you."

"Ah, but they're not my words, they're yours," I teased, "If I go down, I'm taking you down with me."

Five chuckled and rolled his eyes as we stepped out into the Dallas air.

~~~

"You're going to have to tell me where you got those scratches eventually," I kicked an ear of corn, making it fly into the field.

Five pushed through stalks of corn, "I told you, Clove, it's irrelevant."

"If I've learned one thing, it's that nothing is irrelevant."

Five shook his head as we pushed through more stalks of corn. It seemed like this field went on forever, no matter what direction I looked in all I could see was corn for miles upon miles. It was a bit odd to me that such a large corn field existed just outside of Dallas city limits. The outskirts of a large metropolitan area would not be my first choice for a corn field, but the corn was thriving.

"It was Pogo," Five muttered, "I found him at Dad's company."

For a moment, I hesitated, "Pogo? As in, Pogo-Pogo?"

"I only know one Pogo, Clove."

"He's alive?"

"He's young, but he's alive," Five sighed, "He's a baby, and I-I think I frightened him. He scratched me and burst through the window."

Five refused to meet my gaze. Pogo always meant a lot to Five, I think he meant a lot to all of the Hargreeves kids. He had always been a constant in their very inconsistent lives, and that meant more to them than I think any of them realized. Not even Five would acknowledge what Pogo meant to him, but that wasn't surprising, Five didn't often acknowledge what anybody meant to him. It took nearly dying for him to even admit he cared about somebody, he showed how much he cared through actions, not words.

"I'm sorry, Five," I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, "I know how much Pogo means to you, it must have hurt."

Five smirked, "That little shit has sharp nails."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

Five laughed as I rolled my eyes. We popped out of the corn and straight into a perfect circle. The first thing that popped into my mind was a crop circle, the very same conspiracy theorists made out to be evidence of extraterrestrial visitors. The circle was perfectly formed in the corn, made from stalks being blown back and squished against the ground. In the very center was a crater about a foot deep.

"Vanya," Five muttered.

I glanced around the field, "Vanya's making crop circles now?"

"She must be getting control over her powers," Five crouched near the crater and picked up something small and metal, "Of course, something had to make her use her powers."

I crouched next to him and we both inspected the bullet casing. It was eerily familiar to the both of us, as it was from the very same guns we used during our Commission days. Five tossed it over his shoulder and cursed, "Shit, they found her."

"But who?" I asked, "The Ikea Mafia or evil Mary-Kate and Ashely?"

"Doesn't matter, what matters is the Commission found Vanya and we have to get her out of here."

Five stood up straight and began to walk around the cornfield. While he went in one direction, I went in the other, both of us going around the circle looking for any sign of Vanya. I doubted she would be there, if the Commission assassins were after her, it would be unsafe to stay in one place. Our best bet was to find footprints or something Vanya dropped that might give us a clue of where she's been.

I looked up from searching for footprints in the loose dirt just in time to catch something blue with my eyes. Squinting, I looked closer and my eyes connected with soft brown ones. Through the corn, I could see Vanya with her knees pulled close to her chest and her breath hitched in her throat. She was trembling but doing her best to stand still.

Most striking about her was that she looked normal. The last time I saw her, she had gone pure white with scarily pale eyes. The Vanya that hid in the corn now was almost the same as the Vanya I met back in 2019. There was something different, nothing quite as scary as what I saw back at Icarus Theater, this was a good difference. She seemed to have more color in her face than she ever did before, and, even though she was scared, she looked comfortable. Perhaps not in the corn, but in her own skin. For the first time in her whole life, it looked like Vanya actually enjoyed being in her own skin.

"Five!" I shouted, never once pulling my eyes from Vanya.

Five warped to my side in a heartbeat. Out of breath, he followed my gaze until his eyes landed on Vanya. He smiled as he stepped forward and pushed apart the corn standing between us and Vanya, "Hi Vanya."

"You know me?" she whispered, "Who-who are you?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, "You don't know him?"

"N-no?"

"She lost her memory," Five muttered just loud enough for me to hear, "I'm your brother."

Vanya struggled to stand, "I have a brother?"

"Oh, you're in for a surprise," I muttered.

Vanya glanced at me, "Are you my sister?"

I hesitated. I wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. Part of me wanted to say yes, the other part worried that would be taking advantage of her already fragile mental state. If she couldn't remember me, I couldn't just impose myself like that. Instead, I offered a small smile, "I'm just a close friend."

"We need to go," Five glanced around the area, "Whoever attacked Vanya could come back at any moment."

Vanya stepped out from the corn, "Who were they?"

"Depends, were there two or three of them?" I asked as Five led us through the corn.

"Three. Brothers, I think? They all had the same hair."

"The Swedes," Five muttered, "They're a part of The Commission, an organization dedicated to locating and eradicating time anomalies."

Vanya furrowed her eyebrows, "Time anomalies? What does that mean?"

"We aren't supposed to be here, Vanya, none of us are."

"What? In Dallas?"

"No, in 1963."

Vanya fell silent, her eyes wide as she followed her brother through the corn. I took up the rear, chuckling deep in my throat. If Vanya really did lose all her memories, she was about to be in for a real shocking story. Especially the part where she ended the world.

Five jumped out into the circle with the two of us close behind him. As Vanya stalled, taking in the entire thing, I walked up next to Five. Both of us turned to face her when she muttered, "Holy shit."

"I know," Five chuckled, "Wild, right?"

Vanya looked around the large crop circle, "What did this?"

"You did, Vanya."

"I did this?"

Five nodded, "It's good to see your powers are still intact."

Vanya was still gaping at the crop circle she made as Five and I began to make our way across. I paused and waved at her to follow, making her quickly jog to catch up with us. We all stuck close together as we made our way out of the cornfield.

It was a bit odd walking next to Vanya when the last time I saw her, she tried to kill me and everyone I cared about. If I closed my eyes, I could still see Vanya's energy tendrils sucking the life out of Five, Diego, Klaus, and Luther. I could still feel her breaking through the shield that nearly killed me, and I could still hear the crumbling of the Umbrella Academy.

Yet, there she was, walking right next to us and looking as normal as ever. She was different than she ever had been before, less tortured and less murderous. It was odd walking next to her again, but I wasn't scared.

We went to a diner on the very edge of Dallas city limits. It wasn't too populated, but just populated enough to where we wouldn't be spotted. The best way to hide in plain sight was in a crowd. It was more difficult to pick out a single face in a sea of hundreds than it was in an empty room.

I sat closest to the window, with Vanya positioned between Five and me. With two sets of assassins after us, we couldn't be too careful. I kept a careful eye out for any trouble. Every so often, energy would flicker through my fingers as I prepared myself to make a shield.

The waitress brought us each a mug and poured steaming hot coffee. When I glanced up, I half expected to see Agnes and I caught myself feeling disappointed when she wasn't there. It surprised me that I would actually miss Griddy's, with the moldy ceiling tiles and smelly coffee.

I pushed my cup over to Five as he asked the waitress to leave the pot. He took both mugs and began to sip out of them one at a time, smiling as he did. Vanya barely touched her coffee, using the mug as a hand warmer and nothing else.

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Vanya spoke through clenched teeth.

She kept a tight grip on her mug the entire time. I couldn't quite tell if she was nervous or scared, perhaps an unhealthy combination of them both. I had to feel for her, it was difficult understanding this life with memories let alone without them.

"When you were a baby, you were bought by an eccentric billionaire and raised in an elite academy with six other super siblings," Five explained, "One of which, I am. We were raised on the idea that one day we would stop the inevitable apocalypse. That day finally came in 2019, and we jumped into a time vortex to avoid it, which scattered us all across three years in Dallas, Texas."

Vanya was silent for a minute, staring a hole in her brother. If her stares could generate heat, there would've been a hole burned straight through Five. She barely even blinked as she stared at him.

"Don't worry, it gets crazier," I muttered.

Vanya glanced at me before turning back to Five, "What do you mean the apocalypse?"

"I mean, the end of the world as we know it," Five responded.

I shrugged, "Armageddon."

"World annihilation."

"Absolute decimation."

"The end of everything," Five sighed, "All life, the whole world, gone. Clove and I, we traveled forward in time when we were just kids-"

"The first time," I interjected.

"- and we traveled back to try and stop it," Five continued, "It didn't work out so well for us."

Five and I exchanged glances. Vanya tightened her grip on her mug, "How does it happen?"

"What? The end of the world?" Five asked, to which Vanya nodded, "You really don't remember?"

"Nothing before a month ago."

"What do you remember?"

"I-I landed in a back alley. I got hit by a-by a car," Vanya stuttered, "My head was ringing like crazy, I had no idea how I got there or where I came from. All I could remember was my name."

Vanya paused as Five gazed at her. His gaze softened. The usual hard Five with a tough exterior almost nobody could get through to suddenly melted away, leaving the soft person underneath. He always had a soft side, no matter how much he tried to hide it, and it was a rare moment when it came out.

"What causes the apocalypse?" Vanya met Five's eyes.

For a moment, Five's eyes traveled past his sister and connected with mine. I knew him, and I knew there was no way he could tell her that she ended the world. Perhaps it would be better for her, they do say the best way to reverse amnesia is to slowly bring the victim back into their memories.

"Asteroid," Five finally spoke, "Big kaboom, destroys everything."

I gazed at the counter, "Nobody suffered, they didn't even realize what was happening before the asteroid killed them."

"It's just like the one that got the dinosaurs, except way worse," Five leaned forward and sighed, "The bad news is it followed us here."

Vanya slowly looked up from her coffee. She gazed at Five and tightened her grip on her mug, "What do you mean?"

"In eight days, the world ends in a nuclear doomsday," Five barely even looked at Vanya.

Seconds turned to minutes turned to hours as Vanya fell into silence. What was actually just a few seconds felt like decades sitting there waiting for her. Blue energy flicked between my fingertips, just begging me to make a shield. Five sent me a warning glance, causing me to curl my fingers into a fist.

Vanya's amnesia might be the only thing keeping her from turning into the world-destroying being of pain and fear; The White Violin. Any little thing could trigger her, and big things like the second end of the world could bring it all rushing back. If she got triggered, the world might end a lot sooner than six days.

"That can't be right," Vanya finally spoke.

"I saw it, I was there," Five met Vanya's eyes, "We all were; you, Clove, and the rest of our family."

"What were we doing?"

Five sighed, "Trying to stop it, not even superheroes can stop nuclear bombs."

"Maybe not at the moment, but we have a chance," I interjected, shooting Vanya a reassuring smile, "If we get the entire family back together, we stand a real chance at stopping it."

Vanya turned to look at me, "If we couldn't stop it before, what makes this time different?"

"The benefit of foresight."

"We know when it's going to happen, but we don't know how," Five pushed his empty mug down the counter and moved on to my coffee, "Our only chance is to bring the full force of the Academy to stop it."

"And I'm a part of that?"

"Of course you are, Vanya."

Once again, Vanya paused. She glanced over her shoulder and shook her head, "I need to make a phone call."

Without giving us a chance to argue, she hurried off to a payphone just around the corner. Five and I watched her furiously dial and begin to tap her fingers on the wall as the phone rang. As she began talking, I slid myself into her empty seat and leaned back on the counter next to Five, "She really doesn't remember anything."

"That doesn't surprise me," Five drained his last mug of all its contents, "She exerted a large force of power when she had never used her power before, it's a wonder amnesia is the only side effect."

I lifted an eyebrow, "You think it was the whole apocalypse fiasco that wiped her memory?"

"It makes the most sense," Five spun the stool around to where we were both facing Vanya, "Maybe it's a good thing."

"How can it be a good thing?"

"She has a clean slate, it gives us the chance to start over," Five hesitated, his shoulders relaxing as he watched his sister talk on the phone, "It gives her the chance to start over."

We both watched Vanya for a moment. It wasn't a secret, all the torture she had gone through, all the torture all of the Hargreeves kids had gone through for that matter. Vanya, perhaps, was the most tortured of all. Her entire life had been a lie, she had been excluded from her own family, left behind and locked away. All of that pain, that torment, finally broke her. In a way, it was all the years of abuse that caused the apocalypse, not Vanya.

Perhaps having amnesia was good for her. She had a chance to start clean without the weight of years of abuse. She had the chance at a better relationship with her family, the ones who actually cared about her.

"We don't have time for this," Five glanced at the clock and jumped off the stool.

I followed him as he weaved through tables towards Vanya, "Five, relax, she needs time to process."

"We don't have time for her to process," Five ran a hand through his hair, "We have to get the others and save the world."

"We still don't know where anybody else is."

"We know where Luther is."

I crossed my arms, "Five, he basically told us to fuck off."

"He told you and me, but he didn't tell Vanya," Five faced the girl in question and smiled.

"Five, that's a horrible idea!" I whisper-shouted, flinging my hands in the air, "In case you didn't remember, the last time Vanya saw Luther, he made her relive her childhood trauma and cause the apocalypse!"

Five frowned, "She doesn't know that."

"Five!"

"Clove, listen to me," Five placed his hands on my shoulders and forced me to look at him, "We don't have time to take it easy. I know Luther, he's had an entire year to reflect on everything that happened and I'm sure he regrets what he did."

"That's why he wouldn't come with us?" I asked.

"Exactly. Once he sees Vanya, and sees that she isn't in apocalypse mode, maybe he'll come with us."

I stared at him for a moment before crossing my arms and huffing, "For the record, I still think this is a terrible idea."

"You're welcome to file a complaint."

Five stepped around the wall with me hot on his heels. Vanya had her back to us as she was whispering into the phone. Without hesitation, Five hit the payphone and caused it to hang up with the handset still in Vanya's grip.

"What the hell?!" Vanya spun on her brother, her eyes screaming bloody murder.

Five frowned, "We don't have time for this, Vanya."

"That's my friend you just hung up on!"

"Vanya, listen to me," Five grabbed Vanya's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye, "Those assassins from the field are coming after us and they won't stop until they get us. We have to stick together, as a family. We only have eight days to stop doomsday and we have to do it together."

"My friends," Vanya whispered.

Five shook his head, "They'll be dead along with everyone else if we can't stop the end of the world. Our only chance is to stick together."

Vanya stared at Five. I half expected the same energy tendrils to shoot out from her chest and start sucking the life out of Five once again. My hands clenched into fists as I took a deep breath. This wasn't the White Violin, it was Vanya, and Vanya would never hurt Five.

"We need to go," Five breathed.

Reluctantly, Vanya hung up the phone. She shuffled off behind Five, with me taking up the very rear. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"To a club," Five held open the door for both Vanya and me, "It's time to find Number One."

I snorted, "Hopefully his head got smaller overnight."


	11. Good Idea, Bad Results

"I hate this place," I grumbled.

Vanya wrinkled her nose, "It smells like sweat and beer."

"That, Vanya, is the smell of overcompensating manliness."

Five rolled his eyes as he walked right past us, "You're hopeless."

"On the contrary, I happen to think I'm full of hope," I smirked at him.

Five shook his head as we made our way into the backrooms of the club. The club Luther worked at was much larger than it looked on the outside. The back had been walled off and soundproofed, making it the perfect place to host illegal fights. Someone had even dug a makeshift ring into the ground and built up fake bleachers all around it.

People already filled the bleachers, only a tiny part was left wide open. Five pushed himself through with Vanya and me just behind. We crouched at the very front of the bleachers, peering through a chainlink barrier to watch Luther get his ass handed to him on a silver platter.

The man fighting Luther was much taller than him, but not any bigger than him. In any fight, no matter how much larger his opponent was, Luther had the upper hand. Even more so since he became half-ape. The man landed punch after punch, kick after kick, and Luther was barely even fazed.

"What's he doing?" I muttered.

Vanya gasped, "Why isn't he fighting back?"

"Jesus, Luther," Five whispered.

Luther just stood there as his opponent hit him repeatedly. He was bleeding from every hole in his face, and a few new ones his opponent created. While his opponent kept throwing punches, Luther repeatedly shouted, "Hit me again! Give me all you got!"

"Luther!" Vanya's voice was overpowered by the shouts and jeers of the fans.

"What's he doing?" I glanced at Five from behind Vanya's back, "He never lets himself be beaten like this!"

Five leaned back in order to see me, "I don't know!"

The man landed one last uppercut right to Luther's jaw. Luther went flying backwards, leaving a trail of blood like water droplets in the air. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

***

"For the record, I still think this is a terrible idea," I leaned on the car and crossed my arms.

Five watched the door of the hostel shut behind Vanya, "That's why I make the plans."

"I can make plans," I rolled my head on my neck like dead weight to look up at my friend, "And they're very good plans too."

"All of your plans end with you nearly getting yourself killed."

"Now you're just making up lies," I grinned, "Remember that time I told Hazel and Cha Cha to off each other?"

Five leaned on the car with me, "And nearly got killed by the Handler as a result."

"I had it handled."

"Was that a pun?"

"Depends, did you like it?"

Five only rolled his eyes, making me throw back my head and cackle. My laugh echoed off the empty streets. It was odd for the streets to be so empty so early in the afternoon. Dallas was a heavily populated city that always seemed to have something going on, for it to be so quiet, something had to be amiss. In reality, it was between lunch rushes and most people were stuck at their jobs. When you have the end of the world lurking in front of you and two pairs of assassins hot on your tails, everything suddenly becomes the worst case scenario.

"I don't like it, Five," I pushed myself to sit on the hood of the car and tap my fingertips together.

Five turned to look at me, "Don't like what?"

"The Commission has never sent two sets of assassins on one mission," I watched a leaf blow across the asphalt, "Something isn't right."

Five stuffed his hands in his pockets and frowned, "I don't like it either, this isn't like the Commission. It isn't like the Handler."

"They didn't fight like Commission Corrections Agents. Their guns were right there, but they never once touched them."

"It isn't right," Five muttered, "They tried to kidnap you, corrections agents never kidnap."

"They should have killed me on sight, why didn't they?"

Five ran a hand through his hair and turned to face me, "Something is definitely off with these Twins, but they have to be Commission."

"Do they?" I glanced up.

"Who else could it be, Clove? The Commission is the only agency with power over time and space, they are the only ones who can know we're here."

I tapped my fingers together again, "I know, I know, it's just- I don't know, something just doesn't sit right with me."

"I know, me neither," Five mumbled, "There's a chance The Commission sent two sets of assassins since Hazel and Cha Cha weren't enough the first time around."

"Maybe, that seems like the only option."

Five glanced at me. He looked me dead in the face, watching as I bit the inside of my cheek and furiously tapped my fingertips together. Tilting his head, he said, "I'm worried too, but the best we can do is be vigilant until we can get out of here."

"They could follow us back to 2019," I stated.

"They won't have a reason too if we stop the apocalypse."

I glanced up at him and sighed. He was right, of course. The Commission sent out corrections agents to deal with time anomalies. Just us being here, all seven of us, sent the timeline into a spin. It was imperative that we got out of 1963 before we did something irreversible- like jump starting the apocalypse.

"How do you think it happens?" I muttered.

Five didn't even have to ask to know exactly what I was talking about, "The apocalypse? I don't know, but I have a pretty good idea."

We both looked up just in time to see a bunch of bricks fall out of the wall. Luther appeared in the hole, broken and bleeding with a deep scowl on his face. Five stuffed his hands in his pockets and chuckled.

"You think it's Vanya?" I muttered, "She can't remember anything, Five."

Five pushed off the car and began walking towards the door, "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

I thought Vanya not having her memories would protect her from starting the apocalypse. In reality, it wasn't Vanya that ended the world, it was her trauma. If she couldn't remember all the pain she bottled up for her entire life, she couldn't unleash it in a hellstorm of energy, but if something triggered her to remember suddenly it could jumpstart doomsday.

Five and I made it to the door just as Vanya popped out. As soon as she shut the door behind her, I could feel the heat radiating off of her. Her teeth were clenched and her steps were jagged and rough. She slammed her feet into the ground every time she moved, and her fingers were dug so far into her palms, I could've sworn she drew blood. I took a step back as Five approached, cool as a cucumber, "It seems that went well."

"I'm going back to the farm," Vanya spat.

Instinctively, I curled my fingers into my fists as blue energy warped between them. Five spared a glance at me before running to catch up with his sister, "Unacceptable, Vanya! We have to stick together!"

"Why? So I don't end the world again?" Vanya opened the car door so abruptly, I was scared it would fly off its hinges.

"Dammit, Luther," Five whispered.

Vanya spun on her brother with fire in her eyes but ice on her breath, "Were you even going to tell me?"

"In my defense, no," Five tried to catch the door but Vanya slammed it in his face, "When you get angry, things tend to explode!"

"Five, calm down," I placed a hand on his shoulder.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. Gently, I leaned down to peer into the window and knock. Vanya furiously rolled it down and refused to look at me the entire time I spoke.

"It wasn't your fault, Vanya, it wasn't anybody's fault," I exhaled deeply, "What happened happened because of a lot of built up pain and trauma. We were scared to tell you because we were scared to bring that pain back to you."

Vanya spun to glance at me, "We? You're not even family."

"Vanya!" Five stepped in front of me protectively.

My skin turned to ice as I took a step back. I tried to remind myself she was just angry, lost, and confused, I couldn't hold what she said against her. That didn't stop it from hurting. I was very well aware the Hargreeves weren't my family, and I thought we could be until someone came along and spoke words as sharp as knives that cut me right down to size.

"Vanya, listen," Five kept a grip on my wrist as he spoke, "We-"

"Stop saying we!" Vanya interjected, "Stop acting like I'm a part of this, I'm not!"

Five clenched his free hand into a fist, "Yes you are, Vanya!"

"How can I be a part of something when I don't even know who I am?!"

"You're our sister!" Five shouted, "You're my sister, and you're a member of the Umbrella Academy!"

Vanya put the car into gear and looked into Five's eyes with a glare that could've easily frozen him from the inside out, "No, that's who I was. New timeline, new me."

"That's not how this works, Vanya."

"Move before I run you over."

I pulled Five back in time for the tires to squeal as Vanya drove away. Both of us stood there for just a moment, gazing off in the direction she had driven. Sighing deeply, I muttered, "Well, this is going swimmingly."

Five glanced up just in time to see Luther flipping him off from the hole he had made in the wall. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he sighed, "I wonder if it's too late to be unadopted.

"Forty-six years seems like a little late," I responded as we made our way down the empty streets.

"Technically, none of us have been adopted yet," Five paused before glancing at me, "Are you alright, Clove?"

He looked me up and down as if looking for physical wounds rather than emotional ones. I gave him a soft smile, "I'm alright, Five. I can't hold what she said against her, she's got no memories, all of this must be terrifying for her."

"With all we've gone through? Who wouldn't be scared," Five sighed, "She's wrong, you know."

I smiled at him, "I know. I've got all the family I need right here."

I playfully punched his shoulder, making him laugh. As we rounded a corner, I asked, "What now?"

"We move on to plan B," Five smiled, "It's time for a family reunion."


	12. Don't Get Crisp With Me

"So, what, you just let her go?" Diego had to crane his neck to look at Five.

I snorted, "I don't know, Diego, did you just let your Dad go?"

"He shanked me."

"I'm surprised he waited this long, we've all had the urge," Five rounded the couch and sat on the armchair.

I sat on the arm next to him as both Lila and I laughed. She held her hand up for a high-five, to which Five looked at her oddly. This wasn't the first time I had covered for Five's lack of social awareness, or refusal to cooperate. I gave Lila a high-five as Diego rolled his eyes, "At least Dad doesn't start apocalypses."

"No, but he knows what does," Five took a sip of his coffee.

From her spot at the nearby table with Elliot, Evelyn spoke, "Wait, your sister causes the apocalypse?"

"It's a long story," Five breathed.

At the exact same time, I shrugged, "More or less."

"No, not more or less," Diego rolled his eyes, "In case none of you remember, the last time we saw Vanya, she was sucking the life out of us and exploding the moon."

"None of which was her fault," I defended Vanya despite knowing her the least out of the family.

"How do you know? We've only known you for ten days."

"Oh, I've known you a lot longer than that."

"Will you two stop bickering like a couple of schoolchildren? We have bigger matters to attend too," Five glanced between Diego and me.

I smirked, "Him first."

"If either of us is a child, it's you."

"I'm twenty-eight years older than you. Twenty-nine, actually."

"I'm sorry," Lila raised her hands, "You're what now?"

I waved her off, "Long story."

"Clove, focus," Five gazed at me, "We have an apocalypse in seven days and two sets of assassins after us."

Diego gazed at Five as Lila handed him a cup of coffee, "Two sets?"

"The Swedes and The Twins," I scratched at the gauze on my leg, causing Five to bat my hand away, "At least, that's what we're calling them."

"And they were the ones after Vanya?"

"The Swedes were."

"And the Twins?"

"They were after Clove," Five sighed, "The only way to get away from them and stop the apocalypse is to get out of 1963, and the only way to do that is to find Dad."

Part of me thought this whole escapade to locate Sir Reginald Hargreeves was about more than just saving the world. Five was more insistent than anyone else that we had to find Reginald Hargreeves, there was no other way. I could think of about a million other ways that would probably produce better results, but Five was determined. Reginald Hargreeves couldn't see into the future, he wouldn't know any better than us what ends the world.

This wasn't so much about saving the world as it was about seeing his father one last time. It's been forty-six years since Five last saw his Dad, knowing that there was even the smallest possibility excited him. As much as he tried to hide it, I could see it in his demeanor. The way he was so insistent on finding Reginald Hargreeves when all of us knew it was probably a dead end told me all I needed to know.

"For the record, I already found him," Diego frowned.

Five leaned back in his chair, "And you let him go before we could have a meaningful conversation."

"In his defense," I shrugged, "Your Dad did kind of turn him into a shish kabob."

Diego blinked rapidly before looking at me, "I don't know whether I'm grateful or offended."

"I live to confuse you, Diego."

Five wrinkled his nose as he glanced between us. Sighing deeply, he dug in his pocket and said, "Luckily, I know where he's going to be tonight."

Five held the slightly yellow paper in two of his fingers. I took it from him, opening the folded paper and reading over it a couple of times, "It's an invitation to the Mexican Consulate. There's a party tonight and it looks like Sir Reginald will be in attendance."

"Where did you get that?" Diego asked Five.

"From his office," Five smirked, "While he was busy stabbing you."

I playfully hit Five on the shoulder with the paper, "Five, come on, that's enough stabbing jokes."

"I don't need your help," Diego glared at me.

I turned to him and shrugged, "Suit yourself, just don't say I didn't try."

Diego wrinkled his nose and fake laughed. Leaning further onto Diego, Lila asked, "Who's it from?"

Five took the paper from me and read it over again, "Hoyt Hillenkoeter and the Consulate General of Mexico."

At the mention of Hillenkoeter, Elliot jumped, slapping his foot on the ground and starting Evelyn. He spun in a little circle, doing a small dance as he spoke in an overly loud voice, "Hoyt Hillenkoeter? The Hoyt Hillenkoeter?"

"Is there more than one?" Lila asked.

"Oh, oh my God," Elliot could barely contain himself as he ran over to his desk, "He's one of the Majestic Twelve!"

All of us spun to face him as I asked, "The what now?"

"The Majestic Twelve. A secret committee of twelve individuals- scientists, generals, deep government officials," Elliot dug around in his unorganized stack of files, "Nobody knows what they really do."

"Wait- they're government?" Diego asked through a mouthful of biscuit.

"Shadow government. Kennedy was the first President to try to push them to light, but these guys are not to be trifled with."

Evelyn sighed, "Elliot, I think you've been eating too much tuna."

"Wha- what does tuna have to do with this, Evelyn?"

"Mercury poisoning, it's making you talk nonsense" Evelyn stood and moved to Elliot so she could feel his forehead, "You're awfully warm."

Elliot pushed her off, "I'm fine, Evelyn, this is the Majestic Twelve we're speaking of!"

"Elliot, they don't exist."

"They do! See, I have a photograph!"

He flung around a black and white photograph above Evelyn's head. Five warped behind him, grabbed the photo, and appeared back on the armchair. Placing it on the coffee table, we all looked over it.

The photo held a large group of aging men all gathered around a table. Each one wore similar suits of dull colors that turned up black and gray in the black and white polaroid. Not a single one of them smiled, in fact that looked angry to have their photo taken. Their glares could melt steel, particularly one man's glare, the very one that held sunglasses in his hand.

"That's him," Elliot pointed to the man holding sunglasses, "That's Hoyt Hillenkoeter."

Evelyn appeared over my shoulder, sighing as she gazed at the photo with us. Five humphed as Diego looked to be taking in every single detail about all of the men. It was Lila that had the sense to count them, "I only count eleven."

"That's because they've only identified eleven so far," Elliot breathed.

I tilted my head, "Who the hell is number twelve?"

Slowly, as if gravity were pushing up on their heads, Five and Diego looked up at each other. All of the color left Diego's face and Five twisted his lips in a knowing manner. Neither of them had to speak, but they both had the same thought. Glancing between them, it dawned on me as well, "You've got to be kidding me."

"There's only one way to find out," Five stood and straightened his blazer, "It looks like we're going to a party."

***

Tiny pebbles dug into my hands acting like more of a nuisance than actually hurting me. They made my hands all dusty, forcing me to wipe them off on the slick black pants Evelyn had loaned me. She did her best to talk me into wearing a dress. It's a fancy party, she said, you need to look the part, she said. In the end, I won, and I went to the party in shiny black pants and a dark blue sweater.

Five peered over the wall next to me. Diego and Lila were already jumping over it, rushing to crouch behind the nearest car. They didn't hesitate in getting all dolled up for the party. Diego confiscated one of Elliot's suits while Evelyn had shared her blue dress with Lila. They looked like they were actually here to attend the party, not stalk a man who didn't even know we existed.

Five and I both rushed to crouch behind Diego and Lila. Peering under the car, I could see several people walking to the front door. Based upon how shiny and expensive looking their shoes were, I could guess we were about to sneak into a party filled with the one percent of Dallas. Only household names and those who had over a million dollars were allowed into that party. Well, not including us.

"At least we'll have no trouble blending in," I pushed my hair back as I came back up, "There's gotta be at least a hundred people in that house."

Five peered through the car windows, "We aren't the only ones who can blend in easily."

It was only a matter of time before The Swedes or The Twins figured out we were there. Saving the world would be a whole lot easier if it weren't for the assassins constantly on our tails. Even in a crowded room, we ran the risk of being hunted down.

"We don't have much time," Five hissed.

Lila glanced at Diego, "What's the plan?"

"We infiltrate, we identify, we extract," Diego didn't even look at her, "Double time."

Lila stared at Diego before turning to us, "What the hell does that mean?"

"We find the old man," Five whispered.

I peered around his shoulder, "We get out."

"And we do it fast."

"On me," Diego jumped out from behind the car and hurried to hide behind the next.

The rest of us hesitated. Lila glanced back at us only to see Five narrowing his eyes at her. She blinked rapidly and cleared her throat, "After you."

Five simply looked her up and down, "I don't trust you."

"I was just being polite."

"Cut the crap," Five grumbled, "You might have my dimwitted brother fooled, but I know you're up to something."

I gently pushed his shoulder, "Five!"

"She's hiding something, Clove."

Lila smirked, "Oh, ye of little faith."

"Stick it up your ass," Five spat through gritted teeth.

"Five!" I hit his shoulder a little harder this time, "Don't be rude to Diego's girlfriend!"

"She's not his girlfriend."

Lila shrugged, "Maybe not yet."

Laughing, she hurried to follow Diego. Five glanced back at me as I screwed up my face and glared at him. Flinging his hands up, he whisper-shouted, "She's a suspect, Clove!"

"A suspect of what?" I asked, "She's just Diego's crazy friend from the nuthouse."

"Don't you think it's a little suspicious how she's always underfoot? How she followed us to find Dad both times? How she asks so many questions?"

Five stared at me for a moment as I soaked in what he said. He was right, she did ask more questions than Evelyn or Elliot. She was always underfoot, it seemed like, no matter where we turned, there was Lila. Evelyn and Elliot at least had the decency to know when a mission was ours, and too dangerous for them to go on. Lila always seemed to be just a few steps behind, or, perhaps, a few steps ahead.

"Shit," I whispered.

Five turned his glare to where Lila and Diego were crouching behind another car, "She's up to something."

"Alright, I believe you," I whispered, "But, if you blow up at her again, whatever she's buying time for will happen much faster than any of us would like."

Lila could be a great many things. She could just as easily be a curious girl who only recently escaped from a mental hospital, or she could be a spy planted by the Commission. That would explain how they kept finding us so easily, and how they never seemed to be around when Lila was around.

Five and I remained crouched as we hurried behind Lila and Diego. Neither of us had time to stop as Diego located an easy entrance. I nearly tripped over my own two feet in an effort to catch up with them as Diego and Lila hurried off to a side door. Diego quickly pulled the door open and stood as lookout and the rest of us rushed in. As soon as he shut the door, we were left in an empty hall.

"Isn't it more suspicious to go through the side entrance than the main entrance?" I gazed at the crystal chandeliers hanging from every ceiling.

"We aren't aiming for blending in," Five muttered, "We just can't be spotted."

"And we need to blend in to do that."

Diego shushed us both, earning a chuckle from Lila and a glare from Five. As soon as we rounded a corner, we were suddenly in a different world. Instead of the abandoned hallways filled with crystal chandeliers and old paintings, we were in the middle of a grand party filled with only the elite. People whose clothes were worth more than I could ever dreamed of mulled about drinking champagne made of pearls and sniggering about the lower class. It seemed like the very people themselves sparkled, let alone the ornate decorations and crystal chandeliers dotting every room.

I suddenly became very aware of every little abnormality about me. Each speck of dirt under my nails, and freckles on my face became like a neon sign advertising the fact that none of us belonged. Not a single person looked at me but I rapidly began to feel like all eyes were on me. They were judging me, assessing me, deeming me just a street kid who didn't belong there.

Diego, Lila, and Five all fell right into it. It was as if they had been dealing with fancy parties their entire lives when I knew very well Five hadn't been to a fancy party since he was a kid- the first time around, that is. They all acted as cool and casual as they would had we actually been invited. Five easily swiped two glasses of champagne from a waiter, giving him a nod as he did. Sipping one, he handed me the other, "You alright, Clove?"

"I feel like they're all staring at me," I took the glass with one hand and tugged at my sweater with the other, "Maybe I should've worn the bloody dress."

Five gently stopped me from fiddling with my sweater and squeezed my hand, "Relax, Clove, nobody is staring at you. They don't even know we're here."

"Maybe not yet, I feel like I'm holding a giant sign saying 'look at me'," I wrinkled my nose.

"If you don't question yourself, nobody will question you," Five grinned, "Keep your head up, and your eyes forward and nobody will doubt you."

He showed me what he meant by rolling his shoulders back and tilting his chin up. Smiling slightly, I copied him, feeling the confidence run through me just from those motions alone. Taking a swing of champagne, I chuckled, "I'm actually surprised that worked."

"When have I ever led you wrong?" Five winked at me, making me laugh.

"Hey, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum," Diego snapped, "Stick to the mission, alright?"

I sipped my champagne, "Oh, you better hope I'm Tweedle Dum."

"It doesn't matter who's Tweedle Dum, call us that again and I'll kill you myself," Five pointed his glass at Diego threateningly.

"You're so tiny," Lila muttered, "How are you so angry all the time?"

"I already want to kill you, don't press your luck."

Lila raised her hands in defense. Taking Five's empty glass, I dropped both of them on a nearby table and turned to my friends, "Alright, what's the plan?"

"I don't see Dad anywhere," Diego muttered.

"Just keep an eye out for the Majestic Twelve," Five stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Wherever they are, we can be sure he is."

Lila lifted her eyebrow, "This is a big place, how are we supposed to find him?"

"Simple, we split up. Clove and I will take upstairs, Diego, you and your girlfriend can take down here."

"If you spot the Majestic Twelve, come get us," I told Diego.

Diego rolled his eyes, "I think I can handle a bunch of old men."

"You already faced one of them, and we see how well that worked out," Five smirked at his brother.

Diego laughed sarcastically. Rolling my eyes, I said, "If they really are all Elliot made them out to be, they could be dangerous and we stand a better chance together."

"Fine," Diego didn't even look at me, "If we engage, we'll do it together."

"Now, was that so hard?"

Diego wrinkled his nose at me as Five began heading towards the staircase. Laughing, I followed my friend, jumping a little as I did. I caught up with Five as we both weaved through a crowd of much taller and much fancier dressed adults. A few gave us the stink eye, mostly because we were forcibly pushing our way through and I was the only one that ever said 'excuse us'.

"Kind of an odd place for a cult, don't you think?" I asked as we began to climb the stairs.

"They're not a cult, Clove," Five scanned the crowd for a familiar face.

"They meet in secret, they technically don't exist, membership is by invitation only," I listed each part off on my fingers, "And they probably have a secret handshake. They're a cult, Five."

Five completely ignored my argument, "The party is the perfect excuse for so many elite individuals to be gathered in one location."

Upstairs was not quite as elaborate as downstairs. The yellow walls seemed dull compared to the rest of the house, and the paintings were much smaller and more modern. What caught my eye first were the large windows taking up nearly the entire exterior wall. Sunlight reflected off the yellow paint to give the room a summery feel despite being closer to winter than anything else.

Four doors lined the small hall. Five and I stood at the top of the stairs, each glancing in opposite directions. Tilting my head, I asked, "You take the right, I'll take the left?"

"You read my mind," Five shoved his hands in his pockets and casually began to make his way to the right.

I moved to the door at the very end of the hall. Five had already vanished in the exact opposite room. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The room wasn't quite what I hoped it would be. I was faced with a simple bedroom with a bed that had never been slept in. The flower comforter on top was pristine, the only wrinkles were those making perfect squares across the materials. It had only recently been unfolded, but the fine layer of dust on top told me it had been there much longer than it seemed. The entire room had a fine layer of dust, making everything seem just slightly discolored but to where I just barely realized.

"Peculiar," I muttered as I glanced inside a jewelry box on the vanity, "Since when were there bedrooms in a consulate?"

I swiped my hand over the dresser and came back with bits of gray dust. Even the curtains seemed to have a nice layer of dust. It was odd that there was a bedroom in a consulate in the first place, let alone that it was allowed to become this dusty.

My thoughts were interrupted by several footsteps echoing from the front hall. Sucking in a deep breath, I tip-toed to the door and gently cracked it open. The squeaking hinges were drowned out by several pairs of footsteps; twelve in all. I peered around the door and watched as twelve men approached the room right next door to me, all led by a man wearing sunglasses indoors.

It was them, The Majestic Twelve, there was no doubt in my mind. As I watched them file into the room one by one, I matched each face to one in the photograph Elliot showed us. All except one, that is.

The fourth to last man to enter glanced toward me but never saw me. When my eyes fell on his face, I had to pinch myself to keep from gasping. There, walking right alongside the Majestic Twelve, was Reginald Hargreeves. Even up close and in person, he looked exactly as he did in the photograph from 2019. Same graying hair, wrinkled face, and mouth constantly pursed in a look of unamusement. It was him, there was no denying it, Five and Diego were right. Reginald Hargreeves was the twelfth man in The Majestic Twelve.

Once the last man was inside, the door was shut and locked. I jumped out of my room just as Five jumped out of his. We met in the middle.

"Holy shit," I breathed, "You were right."

Five didn't tear his eyes from the door, "Was he there?"

"Clear as day, he looked right at me."

"Shit."

We could hear muffled voices inside the room. They all blurred together to where they were just one big voice. Five straightened his blazer and sucked in a deep breath, "I'm going in."

"What? Five!" I exclaimed, "You don't know what's in there, they could be dangerous!"

"They won't get the chance. There's a closet on the opposite side of this wall, I'll warp in and stay hidden."

"How do you know that?"

"I saw it."

I crossed my arms and glared at him, "It's too dangerous."

"What happened to the Lucky Clover?" Five smirked at me.

"You can't use my own words against me," I teased back, "What if they spot you?"

"They won't."

"And if they do?"

"I'll get out as quickly as I got in," Five smiled, "Besides, you'll be right here if I need back up."

I rolled my eyes and was about to quip back, but Five didn't give me a chance. He warped away just as I opened my mouth to speak. I let my hand fall as I sighed, "That gets old very quickly."

I could still hear the muffled talking of the Majestic Twelve as I turned to look out the window. The sun had long since gone down, leaving only dull stars in its place. Those were the same stars I saw in 2019, all surrounding the same moon Vanya used to destroy the world.

As much as I knew this plan was not about saving the world, I hoped it would help. We were running out of time, and it seemed even less when there were only four of us so far. If Reginald Hargreeves didn't have a lead for us, we would be screwed.

Something creaked behind me, catching my ear and making all of my senses suddenly go on high alert. Subtly, I glanced over my shoulder. My hair was in the way but I could still make out the form of one young man with pure white hair.

The Swedes were smart, they blended in with waiter uniforms and towels draped over their arm. It was from behind this towel that the single Swede pulled out a pistol. I couldn't hear him cock it, but I knew that he did it. As he held the gun just a few feet from my head, the other two Swedes appeared at either end of the hall.

"Three against one? Now, that isn't fair," I leaned on my arm and smirked, still gazing out the window, "You don't stand a chance."

I could hear the Swede behind me move his other hand up to the pistol with intents to shoot, but he never made it. Instead, he came into contact with the perfect ball shield surrounding the gun. He did his best to rip his hand out of the shield, but I flicked my fingers and both the shield and the gun went flying through the window, making it shatter on impact.

I spun around just in time to dodge a punch from one Swede and place a nice kick on the chest of the one that nearly shot me. As that one went tumbling back, the third came up behind me and managed to wrap his arms around my head. He cut off my air supply as the other came around the front and reared back to punch me. Gripping the arm of the other, I kicked the one facing me with both feet, shooting both of them into opposing walls and making them drop me.

Landing in a crouch, I coughed and flung two shields at two of the Swedes. The third was still recovering from being flung against the wall. The thuds must have been enough to alert the Majestic Twelve because they suddenly began to rush out of the room. Not before Five appeared at my side, however.

"About time," I drop kicked another Swede, "And here I thought I was going to have to kick their asses all by myself."

Five tripped one of the Swedes, "It looks like I got here just as it was getting fun."

I knocked back one of the Swedes with a shield as Five kicked another's knees in. We spun around and he kicked one away as I flung bowling ball shields at the same one that was crumpled to the floor.

"Five?" a voice called, "Clove?"

Five handled the Swede attacking us as I spun around. Diego stood at the top of the staircase, his face contorted in a look of confusion and his hands flying towards his knives. He wasn't fast enough, however, as one of the Swedes came up behind him and grabbed his neck with a belt.

"Clove!" Five grabbed my attention.

I spun around to see the Swede had Five in a chokehold. Energy was buzzing around his hands, but he couldn't warp. His eyes were large and nearly bugging out of his face as he gazed at me. Cracking my fingers, I shouted, "Hey, asshole!"

The Swede holding Five glanced up just in time to see me make a shield, vault off of it, and hit him square in the face with both of my feet. We hit the ground together, with me on top of him. I made a shield around his head, one that was slowly growing smaller and cutting off all air supply. Behind me, I could hear Five sputtering for breath.

"Clove, duck!" Five suddenly shouted.

I ducked just in time for a vase to go flying past my head and straight through a nearby window. The shield around the Swede's head vanished, and he grabbed my arms and used his legs to fling me into the air. I flew head-over heels toward the window. Before he could release my arms, however, I grabbed his wrists and shouted, "If I go down, I'm taking you with me!"

I landed face first on the carpet as Five attacked the Swede. Jumping up, I caught sight of a flash of blue and Lila appeared. She jumped onto a nearby table and grabbed the chandelier, strangling the same Swede with her thighs. Across the hall, Diego was still being choked and was dealing with two Swedes at once. Flinging up my arms, I shouted, "Aren't you supposed to be helping your boyfriend?!"

"You're children!" Lila managed to fling the Swede to the ground, "A simple thank you would be nice!"

Diego managed to kick away one of the Swedes, leaving him with only one. The second came running towards us, specifically, he came running towards Five. The boy in question was staring at Lila in shock and didn't even realize. I ran straight past him and barreled into the Swede, sending both of us flying through the window.

Glass shattered around us and I could vaguely hear Five shouting my name. For a moment, there was nothing around us, it was just me and the Swede. He reared back to punch me, but he never got the chance. I made a shield between us, one that flung him even further into the gravel, cutting up his face and tearing apart his hands.

I landed softly, using my shield as a cushion. Hitting the ground in a crouch, I flung back my hair and laughed, "Ha! Take that!"

Nothing could ever be easy, of course. As if facing three assassins wasn't bad enough, two more had to join in the mix. I glanced to a nearby grove of trees just in time to see car lights glint off of something made of copper. There, hiding in the shadows but never hiding from a fight, were the Twins.

One held a copper gun. It was unlike any gun I had ever seen before, the barrel was thinner and longer than most guns. It didn't even have a bullet chamber. It took me a moment to realize she wasn't holding a normal pistol, she was holding a tranquilizer gun, the design of which wouldn't be used for another twenty years.

"Shit," I scrambled to get up, "Shit, shit, shit!"

A dart came flying past my ear, lodging itself in the wall. Jumping to my feet, I pulled it from where it stuck and turned back to the Twins just in time to see another dart come flying towards me. I deflected this with a shield and ran towards the exact window I just fell out of.

I needed to get back to Five and Diego, but they were on the second floor. My instincts kicked in and I did something I had never done before that moment. Making small shields with flat tops hover in the air, I managed to jump with one foot on each shield and parkour myself to the top. The entire time, I was dodging darts and trying not to fall. When I reached the top, I somersaulted into the window and tackled the Swede attacking Five.

"Clove!" Five exclaimed as I flung my hair back, still kneeling on the Swede, "How did you get up here?"

I jumped up, "Long story, there's no time. We've got trouble, and we better make it double."

"Shit, the Twins."

I nodded, holding up the dart, "And they're not playing games."

"Not this again."

The Swede I had tackled was up on his feet again, but we were much faster. Five and I each grabbed one of his arms and sent him flying out the window just like his brother. As he went flying, I scanned the ground for the Twins, but I couldn't see them. That made me all the more suspicious.

"Dad," Five muttered.

He was staring at the driveway where people were running around in a panic and horns were blaring. Following his gaze, I saw Reginald Hargreeves waiting for a car. He was holding the hand of a woman who looked suspiciously like Grace Hargreeves, the woman Five and his siblings called Mom.

"You go get him," I grabbed Five's shoulder, "I'll help Diego."

Five gave me a small nod before vanishing. Without hesitation, I sprinted across the hall and placed a nice kick on the side of the last Swede attacking Diego. He stumbled backwards, giving Diego enough time to grab his knives. Both of us advanced on the Swede and managed to knock him out of the window in no time.

"I had that, Clove," Diego flattened his pants.

"Clearly," I pushed up my sleeves, "That large bruise on your neck proves it."

Diego reflexively flung a hand to his neck and scowled, "Where's Five?"

"Trying to catch your Dad. If we hurry, we can too."

Diego didn't respond, instead choosing to hurry down the stairs. I was hot on his tail. The lower we got on the stairs, the more drained I felt. All of those shields had really taken a lot out of me, I felt like I could sleep for another three weeks.

When we found him, Five was standing at the edge of the driveway favoring the side where he was injured back in 2019. Diego and I quickly ran up on either side of him. I looked him up and down to look for injuries as Diego breathed, "Was that him?"

"Yeah," Five huffed, "That was him."

"Did you catch him?"

Five shook his head, "I barely got a word out before he was gone."

We all watched the old Cadillac drive away with Reginald Hargreeves inside. There went our last hope, or, most specifically, Five's last hope of seeing his Father again. I glanced at my friend to see his face was just as set as it always was, not a hint of sadness left behind.

"So much for that," I sighed, "Onto plan B?"

Five frowned, "We're well past plan B."


	13. Why Must I Be Here

"You know, I'm starting to get the feeling Dad's avoiding us," Five stuffed his hands in his pockets and frowned.

All four of us stood in a near perfect line and watched Reginald Hargreeves drive off in the exact opposite direction. The entire reason we came here, seemingly our last hope, drove off without even sparing us a passing glance.

"What gave you that idea?" I inspected a few cuts on my arm, "The glares or the driving away?"

"A bit of both, actually."

Lila pushed back her hair and stepped in front of us, "I hate to be the boring one of the lot, but we really need to get the hell out of here."

"And when you say 'we', who exactly are you referring to?" Five smiled at Lila in the way he always did when he was onto the person locked in his gaze.

Lila glanced at me as if asking if I was going to do something, and I just shrugged. Before this party, perhaps I would have defended her, but after seeing her lunge to help Five and me when Diego was fighting alone, there was nothing left to defend. Five was right, she asked too many questions and she knew how to fight way too well. If she truly was here for Diego and Diego alone, she would've helped him, not us.

"There is a lot of ambiguity in that sentence," Lila's voice dropped two octaves as she shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

Diego refused to even look at her as Five took a step forward. Half of my mind was focused on them, while the other half was searching the lawn. It didn't pass me by that the Twins had vanished just as quickly as they had appeared. One could make the argument that they ran before law enforcement could arrive, something which we should be doing, but I sensed something deeper. They had come for a reason and I doubted they would leave until they fulfilled their mission.

"Look, I don't know who you are or where you came from," Five spat, "But I'd advise you go running back posthaste."

"I just saved your life you kindershit!"

"A completely unnecessary action, believe me."

I crossed my arms, "There were two of us against one, and you chose to help us instead of Diego, who was facing two assassins alone."

"You are children," Lila sneered, "You can talk big all you want but that doesn't change the fact that you are very small people!"

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you fight like you know what you're doing," Five accused.

Lila wrinkled her nose, "Oh, so what, because I can handle myself, I'm the bad guy?"

"You're in my way. If I see you again, I will kill you."

Diego stepped forward, diverting my attention behind the group. My eyes moved to the nearby grove of trees just as a car drove by, shining its headlights on the area. On the patch of brown grass, a single bright green speck stood out. I slowly moved towards the grove of trees as Diego spoke, "Five, we have to go."

I crouched in the grove of trees and slowly picked up the small clover perfectly resting on the grass. The stem was clipped, someone had cut it with scissors, leaving a perfectly straight line just an inch down the stalk. There were only three leaves, and it was green enough to have just been plucked.

"Five!" I shouted.

A few hurried footsteps proceed Five standing just above me, "Clove, we need to go."

"Look at this."

I handed the clover up to him. As he inspected it, I stood, my eyes scanning the surroundings. Diego was talking to Lila nearby and she looked equal parts frustrated and shocked, but not confused. Most of all, she didn't look upset.

"A clover," Five muttered, "I didn't see any patches nearby."

I shook my head, "That's because there aren't any. The nearest patch is past all the manicured lawns of the city. Someone brought this here, Five."

"And I think I can guess exactly who."

We met eyes as I grimaced. There was no doubt in my mind The Twins left this clover for me to find. It was placed just so perfectly to where I would have to notice it. They were trying to tell me something, that much was certain.

"It's a message," I glanced around nervously, "But, the question is, what?"

Five curled his fingers over the clover and frowned, "I don't know, but it can't be good. We need to get out of here before they come back."

I nodded furiously as Five dropped the clover back into the grass. Grabbing my wrist, we began to sprint off of the property with Diego closely following suit. Jumping over the same wall we did in arriving, we vanished, leaving Lila behind.

***

Diego was way ahead of us as we approached Elliot's place. Throughout the entire trip, he never said so much of a word, choosing instead to stare ahead with a glare that could easily cut steel. If his mouth wasn't set, he was biting the inside of his cheeks and cracking his fingers. 

"Idiot," Five whispered when Diego slammed the car door.

I popped out of the door next to Five and frowned, "Let him be, Five, he's going through some things."

"I'd say we're all going through things," Five stuffed his hands in his pockets as he so often did, "They have to get their teenage angst together, the entire world is on the line."

I crossed my arms over my chest as we followed Diego into the television store, "Just give them time, they'll come around."

"They better, we don't have much hope left."

I shook my head as we stepped into Elliot's place. The very first thing I noticed was the massive behemoth of a human being blocking the entire kitchen. Luther blocked nearly the entire passage through the kitchen as he made an entire pot worth of eggs. He had to hunch over to actually make it to the stove, as he was almost tall enough to touch the ceiling with the top of his head.

"Good, you're here," Five moved to make himself a cup of coffee, "That's four out of seven."

"Are you wearing a bathrobe?" I looked Luther up and down.

"Does it matter?"

Diego frowned, "When did you get here, man?"

"Last night," Luther muttered through a mouthful of half cooked eggs.

I stepped around Luther to see Evelyn and Elliot approaching from the living room. Evelyn stormed past Elliot, her eyes set on me, "And he promptly got high with Elliot."

"Luther?" Diego asked, dumbfounded, "Got high?"

Luther and Elliot exchanged nervous glances. Evelyn stomped her foot, "I walked in on them laughing and sucking nitro through an oxygen mask!"

"Dude, you got high on laughing gas?"

"It was not one of my proudest moments," Luther mumbled.

"And it shouldn't be, young man!" Evelyn wagged her finger at Luther, "You could kill yourself with that stuff!"

"Evelyn, Evelyn calm down," I placed my hands on her shoulders and stepped between her and Luther.

Evelyn shot one last glare at Luther before falling to sit in a nearby chair. I raised my hands and smiled at everyone, "Let's just take a deep breath, alright?"

"We don't have time for breathing, Clove," Five sipped his coffee, "The world ends in five days."

"Did you even hear what you just said, Five?"

"Doesn't matter, we have more pressing matters to attend to."

Luther glanced over his shoulder, "Is that why you went to find Dad?"

Five and Diego both exchanged glances. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, "More or less."

"Did you find him?"

"It seems like he doesn't want to be found," Five leaned against the wall and sighed, "He left before we could get a real conversation in."

Diego fell to sit in the chair opposite of Evelyn, "If it weren't for those Dutch assholes, we would've been fine."

"They're Swedish, you idiot."

"Same difference."

"You need to take a geography class, my friend," I leaned on the wall next to Five.

Diego wrinkled his nose at me. He took out one of his knives and began flipping it in his hand as he often did when he was thinking. More than once, I caught Evelyn sending him nervous glares, watching his knife fly into the air and waiting for it to inevitably go straight through his hand.

"I don't get it," Diego jumped up and began to pace, "They keep following me!"

"They're not just following you, Diego, they're following all of us," I sighed.

Five nodded, "They went after Vanya too."

"It wouldn't surprise me if they hunted down Klaus and Alison too," I shook my head, "The Commission sent them after us, just like they sent Hazel and Cha Cha. They won't stop until we're all dead."

"Or we kill them first," Five added.

One can easily be assured that, if they were after one of us, the Commission surely sent them after all of us. We were not supposed to be here, and that was exactly the sort of thing that got the Commission's attention. It wasn't just Five and me out of time and disrupting the timeline, it was all seven of us- eight if ghosts could disrupt timelines. They were following us because they were hunting us, and they wouldn't stop until one of us was killed.

They weren't the only ones either. The Twins were out there somewhere, and it seemed like they had a much different mission. Each time we came into contact, they never once tried to kill me. They dragged me out of the building they set on fire, and they brought non lethal darts to a gunfight. It was obvious they didn't want to kill me, something which oddly scared me more. I could deal with someone trying to kill me, I had before and I would again. It was the unknown that scared me.

All I wanted to do was talk to Five about it, but we were already neck deep in a conversation with Diego and Luther. Based upon the furious steps and constant twisting of his knife, I could guess Diego wasn't going to let us go anytime soon. I sunk lower on the wall, making Five send me a questioning glance. I waved him off in a sort of 'I'll tell you later' way.

"Why now?" Diego demanded, "I was here for three months and I was fine on my own."

Luther snorted, "Yeah, I was here for a year. Nobody ever bothered me."

"And then, you show up," Diego pointed his knife at Five, "And it all goes to shit."

I instantly pushed myself off the wall and jumped into Diego's glare, "It isn't his fault, Diego. They were bound to catch us anyways."

"Clove, it's alright," Five stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, "The Commission tracks abnormalities in the timeline. Once I came back, knowing the apocalypse is coming and we have to stop it, the switchboard must have set them off that we were going to change the timeline."

Luther glanced at Diego, who never once took his eyes off Five. I was fully geared up and ready to defend my best friend against anything Diego had to throw, and Five knew it. He gently pulled me back to where I was standing just slightly behind him. Placing himself between Diego and me, Five spoke, "Look, we need to focus. We only have six days until the end of the world and the closest anyone has gotten to Dad was the driveway at the Consulate."

"Well," Luther suddenly paused his eggs, "That isn't entirely true."

Five took a step forward with me right behind him, "What do you mean?"

"I-I saw him," Luther poured his eggs onto a plate, "When I first landed, the only place I knew to go was home. So, I panhandled until I had enough for a bus ticket."

"You took a bus all the way to the academy?" I asked, "Have you ever taken a bus before that?"

Luther rolled his eyes, "That isn't the point of the story, Clove."

"Sorry, please continue, Number One."

"Good to know a year doesn't make you any less annoying," Luther muttered.

Five frowned, "Clove isn't the only one that knows one hundred ways to kill a man."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Luther rolled his eyes, "I got there and Dad told me off. He called me ugly, stinky, and unmanaged. He told me I wasn't his son and, if he ever did have kids, they wouldn't be anyone like me."

The chair creaked as Luther fell to sit in it. He began to shovel eggs into his mouth as Evelyn watched, wrinkling her nose. Diego fell into the only remaining empty seat at the table and gazed at his brother, suddenly looking much softer than before, "That's pathetic."

"Yeah, well," Luther spoke through a mouthful of eggs, "At least he didn't shank my ass."

"No, bro, he shanked your heart."

I glanced at Five, "What the hell does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Five pinched the bridge of his nose, "Just ignore them, it's what I do."

Luther furrowed his eyebrows, "Why are you so intent on finding Dad anyways? What's he got to do with the end of the world?"

"It's not the end of the world," Five sighed, "It's time travel. Dad knows something about it and he can tell us how to get home, thus stopping the apocalypse."

From the doorway into the living room, Elliot raised his hand, "Why-why don't you just time travel back? Isn't that kind of your thing?"

"Anyone care to explain?" Five asked as he moved to refill his coffee cup.

"The first time he tried, he got himself stuck in the apocalypse," Luther ate another forkful of eggs.

I took the coffee cup from Five before he could drink more, "The second time, both of us aged backward forty-five years."

Five wrinkled his nose at me. When he moved to get another cup of coffee, I grabbed that mug as well and handed him a glass. When I pointed to the fridge, he glared at me for a moment. We had a silent argument, ultimately ending with Five going to the fridge for some water.

"The third time, I scattered my family over three years in Dallas, possibly triggering a doomsday," Five sipped his water and wrinkled his nose, "This tastes disgusting."

I rolled my eyes, "Water doesn't have a taste, Five."

"Clearly it does, Clove, and that taste is disgusting."

"I will hold the coffee hostage until you drink that entire thing."

Five rolled his eyes, releasing a long sigh before taking another sip. I smiled slightly and nodded. All the while, Diego was groaning, "You're all missing the point. Dad is the ringleader of the group who is going to kill the president."

"Dude, what is it with you and JFK?" I asked, "Do you have a crush or something?"

Diego responded by making a knife lodge in the cabinet above my head. I didn't even flinch, glancing up at the knife and frowning, "Alright, not a crush."

"Both of you, stop it," Five stepped between us, shooting us both glares, "The way I see it, we only have one option left."

"What's that?" Diego asked.

"We have to get the Umbrella Academy back together."

"Oh yeah, family reunion."

Luther looked like he wanted to put his entire face into his eggs as he sighed, "Alright, but could one of you three get Alison please?"

"Trouble in paradise?" I asked.

"Shut up, Clove," Luther shook his head, "She's married."

"That's rough, buddy."

Luther smiled, "I can handle it."

"Are you sure?" I tilted my head, "You are eating at least two dozen eggs at once."

Luther glared at me, "You are not helpful."

"I wasn't trying to be."

"I'll get her. Clove, you get Klaus," Five set his finished cup of water on the counter, "You think you could get Vanya without squeezing her to death?"

"I'll try," Luther spat.

Five smiled, "Good. Come on, Clove, let's go."

I shot Luther and Diego a smile before hurrying after Five. He grabbed my hand and warped us out of the store and down to the car. Falling into the seat next to him, I smiled teasingly, "Don't kill us, alright?"

"Just for that, I'll run us off the highway," Five retorted.

"He does have a sense of humor!"

"I'm tempted to leave you here."

"You always say that," I chuckled, "But you never do."

Five shook his head and took off.


	14. Jeff Goldblum Wouldn't Treat Me Like This

"Last I heard, Klaus was in San Francisco with his cult," I glanced out the window, "How are we supposed to get into contact with him?"

Five frowned, "It seems like we're all finding each other, one way or another. We'll go get Alison and see if she's heard from Klaus."

"And if she hasn't?"

"We move on to plan B."

"I think we're well past plan B," I moved to cross my legs underneath me on the seat, "We're probably into plan M by now."

Five did his best to stifle a chuckle, but it came out anyways. I laughed along with him, making him laugh even more. The two of us rode down the highway, laughing the entire way.

For a moment, just a moment, it felt like old times. Just Five and me, laughing together and making even the worst situations seem good. It was easy to forget about the constant threat of death and an apocalypse looming around every corner in moments like those. Right then, I was just Clove and he was just Five. Not two superpowered trained assassins, not even two adults stuck in children's bodies. We were the two best friends we always were, and we could just be ourselves in total safety.

Nothing lasts forever. Inevitably, we fell into a silence that allowed both our minds to wander. My smile quickly turned into a frown as my mind went to all the darkest places.

"I don't like it," Five interrupted the silence.

I glanced up at him, "Don't like what?"

"Corrections agents don't kidnap, they kill," Five voiced both of our concerns, "Twice now, those Twins had a chance to kill you and they never once even tried."

"They brought a tranq gun into a hail of bullets," I added.

"And they tried to tranquilize you. Diego and I were upstairs, but they waited for you."

"Twice now, they've gone after me when you and Diego were right there," I crossed my arms, "Are they targeting me, or is it just coincidence?"

"Nothing is ever coincidence."

"So, why me? Why not both of us? If they're protecting the timeline, all seven of us are threats."

"That's what bothers me," Five curled his fingers around the steering wheel, "They don't act like Commission, but they have to be."

"Do they?"

"Who else could they be?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. The only people who could know we were here were those who could see all of time and space. What's more, only those who knew of time travel could even fathom how we got here. Besides us, only the Commission and Reginald Hargreeves knew of time travel and I don't think Reginald would be sending two assassins after me and me alone.

They had to be Commission, but something told me they weren't. They didn't act like Commission, starting with how they tried to kidnap me and not kill me. Whenever the Commission went after us, it was always Five and me, never one or the other. They fought like they knew what they were doing, but they fought differently than Corrections agents. All Commission assassins were trained by the same group of people, thus they all fought the same. Even Five and I fought the same, albeit Five had other maneuvers he learned in the Academy. The Twins fought differently, oddly more planned than Corrections agents ever could be. They were trained, and trained well, the question was by who.

"What if there was someone else?" I glanced at Five.

He risked a glance at me, "What do you mean?"

"Your Dad knows about time travel and he isn't associated with The Commission at all-"

"That we know of."

"That we know if," I corrected, "We've faced so many odd things in our lives, who's to say there isn't another Commission out there somewhere. Maybe there are more time travelers."

"Perhaps, but what motive would they have to come after you?"

"That's what worries me."

Five left one hand on the wheel in order to place his other on my shoulder. He squeezed comfortingly, risking another glance and a small smile, "We've handled assassins in the past, and we'll handle these just the same. Whatever their plan is, we'll stop them."

"I'd just feel a whole lot better if we knew what that was," I sighed.

"I know, Clove, me too."

Five pulled the car into a quaint little neighborhood on the South side of Dallas. Each house looked the same, all remnants of the 1950s need for conformity and the suburban boom. As we drove through the streets all on a perfect grid pattern, my eyes began to have trouble focusing. Each house looked so similar to the past, it was difficult to see them as different buildings entirely and not just one everlasting house.

We stopped right in front of a corner house. A few kids were playing on the street and looked at us oddly as we stepped out. The mothers and grandmothers watching them from the lawn all whispered amongst themselves, pointing and sending us disgraceful glares.

"I miss being an adult," I muttered as we approached the front door, "People were a lot nicer then."

Five twisted his hands in his pockets, "These bodies are ridiculous."

"I will admit, I don't miss the arthritis," I added as Five knocked on the door.

"That is a silver lining."

A few crashes radiated from the inside followed by two sets of laughter. Before the door even opened, Five chuckled, "I don't think we'll have to worry about finding Klaus?"

"And why's that?" I asked.

The door swung open and Alison gasped, "Five! It's you!"

Without hesitation, she dove forward and wrapped Five in a hug. The boy in question was clearly displeased, but he gently patted Alison on the back. Klaus rounded the corner, leaning on the wall, and laughed, "It's Five and The Lucky Clover! I knew you guys weren't dead!"

Alison pulled away from Five and turned to me. Out of everyone, she had changed the most in the two years she had been there. Her hair had grown out and become a lot darker and smoother, it was practically perfectly straight when she let it down. The scar from her neck wound had healed nicely, if I didn't know it was there I never would have guessed her neck had been sliced open. Even the way she stood, the way she existed, was different. She seemed a lot more sure of herself and the world she lived in. Her smile was a lot brighter than it ever had been before, and there was a slight pep in her step.

"Clove!" she pulled me into a hug.

I was shocked at first, but I quickly accepted the hug. Laughing, I wrapped my arms around her chest and said, "It's good to see you, Alison."

"I've missed you both," Alison hiccuped, "So much."

Klaus stumbled forward, "Ditto!"

Klaus had changed a lot as well, but not quite as much as Alison. His hair had also grown out and reached his shoulder blades. I never expected him to have curly hair, but it fell in perfect curls and waves without him ever having to treat it or anything. He was drunk again, both of them clearly were, but his drunk seemed different than it usually was. He was much drunker than he should be, having built up a tolerance for so long. Watching him stumble around, I had to wonder if he had been sober all this time only to break that sobriety now.

"Glad you're both here," Five smiled, "We don't have a lot of time, we need to go."

Klaus sloppily pushed back his hair, barely noticing the few strands that fell back in his face, "Go-go where?"

"For what?" Alison followed up.

"To a friend's house," Five glanced at his brother and sister, "It's time for a family reunion."

Alison blinked as Klaus flung up his hands, "Woo, family meeting! There's no way this will end well."

"Doesn't matter, just get in the car."

"Good to know you never change," Klaus booped Five's nose as he passed, and it took me grabbing both of his arms to keep him from lunging at Klaus, "Still as bossy as ever."

"Klaus-" Five began.

I interrupted, "Five, take a deep breath. They're drunk."

"I am not drunk," Alison fell to sit in the backseat with Klaus while Five and I took the front seat, "I'm just slightly- a little bit- tipsy."

"See? Drunk," I gestured to the two people sitting behind me.

Alison rolled her eyes as Klaus cackled. Five wasted no time in taking off from the curb, muttering under his breath the entire way. Klaus started giggling and didn't stop until we pulled up to Elliot's place. Even then, he nearly fell out of the car and was cackling the entire way.

"Somehow," Five sighed as we climbed out of the car, "You and I are the most mature people here."

I stood next to him and crossed my arms, "Well, we are mentally twenty-seven years older than them."

Five and I led Alison and Klaus into Elliot's place. They were hanging off of each other and laughing the entire way. A few times, I swore I caught them whispering, but they started giggling uncontrollably when I glanced back at them. Rolling my eyes, I opened the door and held it for everyone else.

Alison and Klaus stopped giggling when we stepped into the main room of what had once been Elliot's television store. Right there, paused as if posing for some epic movie shot, was the rest of our team. Luther, Diego, Vanya, Elliot, and Evelyn all stood at the top of the staircase. They held onto the railing as they gazed down at us, some smiling and some frowning, but all of their eyes were directed at us. Alison and Klaus fell silent as they saw the last three remaining siblings.

"I know this is impossible," Klaus slowly and dramatically took off his sunglasses, "But did we all get sexier?"

For a moment, I could have sworn we were in a movie. All of us gathered in one place; seven super powered individuals and the two who put up with us all under one roof. I could almost hear the epic background music marking what could be a momentous turning point in our stories. After so long searching, we were finally back together again. The entire team was together, and now the real work began.

"Vanya," Alison breathed.

I glanced over at her to see her rocking ever so slightly from foot to foot. She was biting her lip softly and tugging at the waistline of her dress. I knew it had nothing to do with how the dress fit, she looked remarkable in that dress, but it had everything to do with releasing stress. The last time Alison had seen Vanya, the moon was hurtling towards us ready to end the world. Despite that, she never once stopped loving her sister. Even when she couldn't decide if she was scared or not, I could see the love in the way her entire body seemed to light up.

"I can't believe I have a sister," Vanya giggled.

Everyone slowly came down the stairs as if relishing their movie moment. Five and I exchanged glances, causing him to roll his eyes and me to giggle. Vanya stood in front of Alison as she whispered, "I missed you."

"Thank god someone did," Vanya swung her hands back and forth.

For a few painful moments, they just looked at each other. It was Vanya who opened her arms and Alison who didn't hesitate in pulling Vanya into a hug. All the while, Diego was grabbing Klaus by the back of his neck as Klaus giddly held Diego's arm. In a disapproving voice, Diego muttered, "Man, you are drunk."

"Jus-just a little," Klaus turned around and clasped his hands together, "Aw! That's adorable!"

He wrapped his arms around Alison and Vanya, who were still embracing. I turned to Five and smiled, "At least getting the team together is a whole lot easier this time than last time."

"That's the only easy part, if we're all here" Five sighed, "Klaus, is Ben here?"

Klaus placed his hands on his hips and sighed, "Oh, no, unfortunately ghosts can't time travel."

"Alright then," Five sighed, "Let's get down to business."

I skipped after Five as he started climbing the stairs, "This is where it gets fun!"

"You and I have very different definitions of fun," Five glanced over his shoulder at me.

"And yet, somehow, we've survived all these years."

"Hey Diego," Alison called.

Diego, being too cool to respond, simply kept climbing. Flicking her hands at her side, Alison asked, "What? Can't say hi to nobody?"

"Hi Alison," Diego finally responded.

"What was that?"

"Hi Alison!"

"Thank you."

"I love your family," I muttered to Five.


	15. Circle of Idiots

"Right, I'm just going to get straight to it," Five stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I'd like to say I'm sorry first. I'm the one that brought us back, and I'm the one that screwed it all up and got us stuck. You've all been here for varying lengths of time, not knowing if everyone else was alive or dead, and I'm sorry for that."

I gently grabbed his hand and squeezed, giving him a sort of silent support. He glanced at the floor to give me a soft smile as I let go. As he most often did when he didn't want anyone to see him fidgeting with his fingers, he put his hands in his pockets.

It was a wonderful thing, to be all together again. For the first time in ten months, or longer depending on who you ask, we were all in the same room. Luther, Diego, Alison, Klaus, Five, Vanya, and me all together once again discussing the apocalypse yet again.

"The real kick in the pants is we brought the end of the world back with us," Five sighed, "The world ends in six days and we have to stop it."

Klaus, from his spot in front of the door to the kitchen, whipped around, "Oh my God, again?"

Everyone just kind of looked at him. I glanced at Alison, the only other person I thought had no idea about the apocalypse. She simply nodded along like she had known all this time but didn't see any need in bringing it up.

"All of you knew? Why am I always the last one-" Klaus paused, "Oh my God, my cult. Five! I told them we had until 2019!"

"We have until Monday," Five interrupted.

I stood and moved next to Five, "With all of us working together, you might not have to tell your cult doomsday has been rescheduled."

"Do you have any idea how it happens?" Alison asked.

She and Vanya were the only ones sitting on the couch. They were on polar opposite sides and sitting in polar opposite ways. Alison sat on the arm of the couch, her legs tucked neatly beneath her and her hands folded daintily in her lap. Vanya was spread out on the opposite side, slumped down into the cushions manspreading as far as she could.

Luther sat in one of the armchairs while Diego chose to stand behind the other and lean on the back. He was drumming his fingers on the wood in a beat I knew was something but I couldn't quite place where I had heard it before.

"Is it Vanya?" Klaus interrupted.

Alison flung a pillow at him and shouted, "Klaus!"

"What?! It's usually Vanya."

"We don't know what triggers it, but we know how it happens," I interjected, "Five arrived six days from now, he saw it. It's because of him that we know we have to stop it at all."

"H-How does it happen?" Vanya's voice was small, reminding me too much of how she was long before she ended the world the first time.

"Nuclear war," Five couldn't meet her eyes, "Seven nukes all fall on Dallas, plunging the world into a nuclear holocaust."

Klaus sipped his drink, "That's definitely not Vanya."

"We have one lead," Diego held up a file.

Five took it from Diego and passed it to me. I passed it to Alison who opened it. Vanya scooted over to look over Alison's shoulder while Klaus walked up behind her. Alison gasped, "Holy shit, Dad."

"That's our Dad?" Vanya asked.

"Where did you get this?"

"Hazel," Five responded.

"Hazel?" Klaus glanced up at his brother, "The assassin who tortured me and ran off with the donut lady?"

Five nodded as I smiled, "The very same."

"Nice guy, amazing haircut."

"He died to get us this," Five nodded towards the file containing only one photograph, "That's Dad, three days from now."

"Standing on the grassy knoll," Diego muttered.

Alison peered over the file at us, "The grassy knoll? Where Kennedy gets shot?"

"Do you know another grassy knoll, Alison?"

"The point is, Diego and I have been trying to get into contact with Dad and figure out what this all means," Five interrupted, "Hazel died getting us this footage, so it must be important. So far, we've got nothing."

"Not nothing, we know Dad is planning to kill President Kennedy," Diego retorted

"We don't know that for sure. Our focus is on doomsday, and we don't know who or what triggers it," Five explained, "It could be Kennedy, or it could be something else entirely. We know something changes the timeline, and that is what we have to stop."

Alison frowned, "How are we supposed to fix something if we don't know what part is broken?"

"It's pretty obvious, right?" I shrugged, "The apocalypse didn't always happen in 1963, obviously. Everything else is going exactly the same the first time around, except for seven very important factors."

Everyone stared at me for a moment. It was Luther who finally spoke, "And that is?"

"Us, dumbass," I rolled my eyes, "We aren't supposed to be here, the world isn't supposed to end in 1963, clearly there's a correlation."

"Has anyone done anything to change the timeline?" Vanya's voice still held a hint of confusion as she asked.

Everyone fell into a silence like ice. Five and I glanced at each other as the others bit their lips, twiddle their thumbs, and scratched the back of their necks. Before they could even speak, Five was sighing and I was pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Diego's been stalking Lee Harvey Oswald," Luther pointed out.

Diego pushed off the chair aggressively and pointed at Luther, "You're working for Jack Ruby!"

"Alison has been very involved in local politics," Klaus shrugged.

Alison glared at him, "Okay, you started a cult."

Klaus curled his fingers to mimic claws and hissed. Vanya raised her hand, "I-I'm just a nanny on a farm. I don't have anything to do with this."

"That we know of," I interrupted, "We don't know what triggers doomsday. The Butterfly Effect is very real, it could be anything from working for Jack Ruby-"

"Hey-" Luther interrupted, but shut up when I glared at him.

"-Or stepping on a butterfly. The point is, whatever happens, we're the ones that cause it."

"We have to figure out how exactly we do that and stop whatever it is before it can happen," Five sighed, "The only lead we have so far is Dad standing on the grassy knoll in three days."

Diego groaned, "Look, the answer is simple. We know Dad is going around doing shady business deals with even shadier people, it's obvious. We all know what we have to do."

"Find Dad," Five spoke.

At the exact same time, Diego stated, "Kill Dad."

"Paradox," I pointed out as Diego and Five glanced at each other.

"What?"

"It's a paradox," I looked up at Diego, "If you kill your Dad, here, in 1963, he won't be around in 1989 to adopt you all, therefore never bringing you together, never triggering doomsday, and none of you would ever come back here to kill him in the first place."

Diego stared at me. It took me a moment to realize everyone else, with the exception of Five, was doing the exact same thing. Blinking, I muttered, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Everything you just said hurt my brain," Klaus used his whole hand to gesture to my entire body.

"She's right," Five stated, "Whatever we do, we cannot mess up the timeline, meaning we cannot create paradoxes."

"Look, everything in our lives is connected to Kennedy," Diego interjected, "Luther is working for Jack Ruby, Alison is protesting the government, Klaus is doing something weird and pervy, and Hazel dies getting footage of our father on the grassy knoll to us. That can't be a coincidence."

I shrugged, "Technically not everything connects back."

"What?"

"Vanya's been on a farm outside of the city for a month," I shrugged, "I've spent the last ten months in a bookstore searching for all of you and trying not to die. Not everything is connected back to Kennedy."

Diego frowned, "He has to be involved, we have to save him."

"Saving him could be the very thing that starts doomsday."

"Or, it could be the thing that prevents it."

"Have you ever read a history book?"

"It doesn't matter," Diego spat, "Clearly, we were all sent back for one specific reason; saving John Fitzgerald Kennedy."

I crossed my arms, "Weren't we sent back to avoid the apocalypse?"

"I really think your hero complex is getting out of hand," Luther added.

All six voices quickly blended into one. We were all speaking over, around, and through each other until you couldn't make out what any of us were saying. Even I was in on it, having no problem in going off without having any clue what I was even saying in the first place.

"Guys, you all died," Five finally interrupted and got all our attention, "I was there, I saw it. I want to forget it, but I can't."

Five pulled one of his hands out of his pocket as I took a step forward. Gently, I grabbed his arm, squeezing his hand in the only act of comfort I could come up with. He squeezed back as he sighed, "I saw Russian nukes vaporize the world with all of you in it, in a war that never happened until we brought it here. Hazel gave his life to save us, so you need to shut up and listen to me."

Surprisingly, everyone did. I watched as they leaned back in their seats, their lips stuck together and their unblinking eyes on Five. He gazed back, looking at each of them individually, "I don't know if our experiences are connected, or if there is a reason behind this all, but I do know that we have to work together to stop the apocalypse. I don't know what triggers it, I don't know what this all means, but Dad will. That's why we have to find him and talk to him."

Everyone was silent. I squeezed Five's hand, giving him encouraging smiles the entire way. It was easy to feel all five eyes on Five. Everyone was turning what he said over in their minds, making decisions that could either save the world or end it.

"Alright, that's it," Luther jumped up, "I'm out."

"Luther!" Alison shouted.

Five scoffed, "Did you even hear me?"

"Yeah, I heard a fifty-eight year old man who still wants his Daddy to come and save him," Luther sighed, "You can count me out, it's time we all grew the hell up."

I snorted as Luther hurried to the stairs, "He's one to talk."

Everyone began to shout Luther's name as Diego jumped up to follow him. I spun around just in time to see Five warp away. Alison was right behind me as I ran up to the guardrail looking down at the television store.

Five warped in front of Luther on the stairs. He stood firm, with one leg in front of him and a fist curled at his side. Glaring at his much larger brother, he spat through gritted teeth, "Nobody leaves until we figure this out."

"Yeah," Luther snorted, "Sure."

Without even blinking an eye, Luther grabbed Five by the front of his shirt and flung him over the stairs. Five flailed in the air for a moment before vanishing. I slapped the railing and shouted, "Luther!"

"Save it, Clove!" Luther shouted back.

"One hundred ways to kill a man, Luther, remember that!"

"Yeah, come back when it's one hundred and one."

Luther vanished out the front door with Diego close behind him. Flinging my hands in the air, I grumbled and kicked the railing.

It was like 2019 all over again. The apocalypse was coming, and they still didn't want to do anything about it. All of them were so wrapped up in their own lives and their own selves, they didn't give a shit that the world was ending. Once again, they were all too wrapped up in their little sideshow acts to see the bigger picture. It was all about to be over in six days, unless we could stop it. Our only chance was to get the Umbrella Academy back together, and they weren't listening.

"There they go again," Klaus sighed, "Macho men doing their macho thing."

I frowned, "I'm going to find Five."

"Clove-" Alison began.

"I'll be back."

I stomped down the stairs and out the front door. Luther and Diego were already gone, which was probably a good thing. I had a thing or two to say to Luther, and I'm sure he didn't want to hear it. Part of me wanted to make all of my empty threats a lot more real, and he wouldn't like that.

The streets were relatively deserted as I walked along them. Only a few people milled about, and they barely even spared me a passing glance. I laced my fingers behind my back and sighed, plodding down the street and doing my best to keep my frown from overtaking my entire face.

Five wasn't anywhere around Morty's Television and Radio, he wasn't even in the back alley we had all arrived in. I had looped the building twice, but he was nowhere to be found. Stopping at the corner, I ran a hand down my face and groaned.

I had gone into this hoping it would be better than last time. Last time, half of the battle had been gathering the Umbrella Academy and convincing them to focus on the apocalypse rather than whatever was happening in their personal lives. Everyone was so wrapped up in themselves, it took us over half of the eight days we had to convince them to help. Perhaps that is what really started doomsday, if they had just listened originally, this all would've been over a lot quicker.

I had hoped this time it would be different, but it was obvious some things never change. Luther was too busy moping and feeling sorry for himself, Diego was too in love with JFK, Alison was too busy with her husband, Klaus with his cult, and Vanya wanting to vanish into the countryside. All were far too wrapped up in themselves to see everything they cared about, including themselves and each other, would be gone in six days if they didn't sit down, shut up, and listen for five minutes.

It was moments like this where I was glad I didn't have a family growing up. There was a substantial chance none of us would have survived if I actually grew up with them. As much as I tell myself I would have killed them, I know I never could. Even now, where they had me at my wits end about to pull out my own hair, I knew I could never hurt them. There was a reason I had spent ten agonizing months trying to find them all instead of moving on like everyone else. I just got this family, and I'll be damned if I was going to lose it now. 

I opened my fingers just long enough to see something falling from the sky. Peering through my fingers, I glanced up and watched a single three leaf clover fall to my feet. My blood ran cold before it even landed. Crouching, I picked up the clover and spun it between my thumb and pointer finger.

"Shit," I whispered.

They were here, I knew they were. Jumping to my feet, I began to scan the perimeter. The Twins were there somewhere, they had to be. This was the second time a three leaf clover came to me as an omen, and there was no doubt in my mind it was left by the same two people both times. I stuffed the clover in my pocket and began to investigate.

Whoever dropped it was on the roof of the building next door to Morty's. I heard a crash in an alley different from the one we all landed in. Curling my fingers into fists, I began to sneak in that direction.

There, standing right in the middle of the alleyway, was one of the Twins. The bodysuit twin stood with her back to me. She was crouched over, it looked like she was tying her shoe but I knew for a fact her boot didn't have laces. I suspected she might be loading her gun, one that she would never get the chance to shoot.

I never stopped to wonder why there was only one of them, I was too focused on the fact that this was my chance to finally get rid of them. Even if it was just one, it was one less Twin I had to worry about. She was right there as if she were waiting for me to pounce.

I jumped around the corner and flung up my hand. A domed shield appeared around the Twin. She should have been startled, but she barely even reacted, instead choosing to slowly turn around and face me. A smirk crossed her lips as I stepped forward.

"Gotcha," I grinned, "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but I will warn you. Neither way will be painless."

The pantsuit twin simply kept smirking. Her eyes drifted past me, landing to focus on something just behind me. I noticed a moment too late. When I spun around to face whatever she saw behind me, I was met with a needle being plunged into my shoulder.

Sweater twin stood behind me with a smirk identical to her sister. I flung up my hand to make another shield, but nothing but a few sparks appeared. The shield around the pantsuit twin vanished just in time for her to catch me. She caught me under my arms and I fell backwards.

The world was becoming blurry. It reached a point where I could only make out shapes and colors, and then it stopped. My entire body felt numb, I didn't even feel it as the sweater twin lifted my legs and they began to carry me between them. They maneuvered through the alley and to a car parked around the back. Even as they threw me in the trunk and shut the lid, I didn't feel a single thing.

Whatever they gave me was effective, but it wasn't strong enough to knock me out. It made the world seem distant, like I was watching a distorted version of myself play a video game with a broken controller. I was just a character in a game, and I barely realized what was happening around me.

I knew enough to know I was getting kidnapped. Shaking my head, I slapped myself on the cheeks and tried to wake myself up some more. Whatever they gave me slowed me down, but it wasn't enough to stop me. I shook my head even harder and got to work.

The trunk was pitch black, save for the light red light coming from the back of the brake lights. As the Twins slowed at a stoplight, the entire trunk was illuminated. They were smart enough to take out anything that could have been used as a weapon, but that didn't matter. I turned to where the backseats would be to see the perfect outline of each seat.

A smile crossed my lips as I realized this car was made for extra storage space. One could easily lie one seat down to fit something extra long in the trunk. The unfortunate part was, only the middle seat could lie down and it was only half as big as the others. The hole would be too small for me to fit through, but it was my only chance.

There had to be a lever to put the seat down. Frantically, I began to run my hands over the roof of the trunk, searching for anything I could pull or press. My fingers finally found a small string with a piece of plastic on the end. I grinned as I pulled it.

A small pop preceded the middle seat moving forward ever so slightly. I could hear the radio going, meaning the Twins couldn't hear me as I made my escape. Scooting on my stomach, I pushed the middle seat down, catching the back and lying it forward gently so they wouldn't hear me.

From the small hole between the seats, I could see both Twins sitting in the front seat. The Pantsuit twin was driving as the Sweater twin was buried behind a map. The radio spoke nonsense, drowning out the noise of me scooting through the hole.

What caught my eyes was the briefcase sitting between the two Twins. It was large, bulky, and with extra large clasps on the top. The gray leather was familiar to me, but something seemed different. It was similar enough to the Commission's briefcases to be mistaken as one and the same, but, even in my drugged state, I could tell something was off about it. The way it seemed just a little bit too big, or how the leather seemed more like costume leather. Even the clasps seemed to be made of copper, whereas all the Commission briefcases had golden clasps.

The furthest I could get was just under my arms. I was able to stick my head, arms, and chest out of the hole before I was caught. Even that was a struggle. Sighing, I knew there was no way I could make it through the hole entirely.

The drugs were still in my system, making everything difficult. I could see the Twins, but only as blobs of colors and distorted shapes. That gave me a rough idea of where they were, and a rough idea of where the steering wheel was. I glanced toward the window to see large dark shapes passing by, meaning we were passing through buildings.

A plan quickly formed in my mind. Raising one hand, I took a deep breath and prayed there was enough energy left in me to create one more shield. I clenched my fingers shut and a shield appeared around the steering wheel. Sweater Twin quickly retracted her hands as both spun around to look at me. They began to lunge towards me, but they never got the chance. I twisted my hand to the left, and the shield turned in unison. The car took off towards the left and plunged headfirst straight into a solid brick wall.

The Twins were flung forward, their seatbelts being the only reason they didn't die. The force of the impact was enough to crumple the car into itself, popping the trunk open. I was shoved into the hole, but even that wasn't enough to get me through. I hear cracks as my body compacted in on itself.

My entire body ached, but the adrenaline was enough to keep me going. I spun around, ignoring the pain in my side and the blood steadily dripping from my forehead. Kicking the trunk wide open, I jumped out and nearly fell over.

People were beginning to surround the smoking car, but I barely realized they were there. All I could see were blobs and all I could hear was a mesh of distant voices as I began to run.

All I knew to do was run. The drugs were strong, they couldn't stop me but they dampened my shields. Making the one drive the car nearly took it all out of me. I cursed under my breath as I wiped blood out of my face and limped along the road.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw two blobs hurrying after me. Based upon the colors alone, I could guess the twins had survived the crash. They were moving just a tiny bit faster than I was, making me quicken my pace.

"Shit," my voice didn't sound like my own, making me wonder if I was the one who said it at all, "Shit, shit, shit!"

I turned into an alley where the pavement became dirt. Small houses lined the area around me, but I didn't stop to look. I needed to get away from the Twins as fast as I could. They were catching up and I wasn't sure if I could defend myself a second time.

"Shit!"

"Clove?"

That voice sounded familiar, but distantly so. I glanced around as my foot caught a tree root. Falling over, I caught myself on my arms and winced. Two hands appeared on my shoulders as the same voice asked, "Clove, what the hell happened?"

"Diego?" my voice was getting even weaker.

"It's me, Clove."

"I'm here too," Luther added, "Why the hell are you covered in blood?"

I coughed slightly, "It's the Twins."

"Who?"

"Assassins," talking was getting difficult, "They drugged me and threw me in a trunk. I crashed the car and escaped but they're still after me."

Diego flung up his head. I assumed he and Luther both spotted the equally bloody and banged up Twins following me. I barely realized what was happening before a sturdy set of hands lifted me off the ground and my upper half was suddenly braced against Luther's shoulder.

"Get her inside," Diego demanded, "I'll handle them."

Luther stepped up next to his brother, "I'm not leaving you alone."

"They're half dead already, Luther, I think I can handle this."

With the arm that wasn't holding me, Luther hurled a trash can at the Twins. At the same time, Diego threw two knives. I turned around just enough to see both blobs I assumed were the Twins hit the ground.

"That was much easier than I thought it would be," Diego muttered as he and Luther ran back towards Elliot's place.

I was practically a rag doll draped over Luther's shoulder, "Only 'cause I did the dirty work."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

I heard the door open and shut as the air suddenly became a few degrees cooler. My head bounced against Luther's shoulder as he hurried up the stairs. When he was back on level ground, a dainty gasp emerged, "Clove!"

"Hiya Evelyn," I muttered as Luther laid me down on the couch.

Evelyn fell to her knees at my side with the First Aid Kit, "What happened?"

"The assassins attacked her," Diego explained for me, "Luther and I found her outside, still being chased."

"She said they drugged her and shoved her in a trunk. She crashed the car," Luther continued.

Evelyn began to clean the blood off of my head, "You could've died, Clove."

"Better than go wherever they were taking me," I muttered.

The drugs were finally taking effect. Darkness slowly crept into my vision as I struggled to make out at least one familiar face. With one last exhale, I passed out.


	16. I Die Less Than Before

Being unconscious was not all it's cracked up to be. One could easily believe it to be just a prolonged nap, but it was anything but restful. With the drugs still flowing through my system, rest was furthest from my mind. The drugs took a long time to knock me out but, when they did, they gave me dreams I would never forget.

I opened my eyes to find I was sitting on a large rock right in the middle of the ruined library Five and I once called home. Ash fell from the sky once again, and I could even smell the sulfur in the air. Glancing around, I saw Dolores resting on Five's cot, and the equations Five spent most of his life on already going dull on the old green walls.

"This is a dream," I looked around at the apocalyptic wasteland I grew up in without even flinching, "I'm dreaming."

I could feel the chill in the air, smell the sulfur, and even feel the tiny shards of rocks cutting through my pants. Oddly, I wasn't afraid. Despite being back in the wasteland Five and I tried to escape for so long, I wasn't afraid.

"Why am I here?" I muttered.

I tried to move my legs, but they wouldn't move. My entire body felt like it was a puppet and I didn't have the strings. Looking up, I saw that Dolores had been replaced on the cot by a small body.

It took me a moment to realize who I was looking at. Only when he rolled over and allowed the wine bottle to fall to the ground did I recognize him. Even through ashy skin and lips that hadn't taken a gulp of air in decades, I recognized him. All my breath left my body as I muttered, "Five."

He didn't move. I didn't have to touch him to know he was dead. Only then did I finally gain control of my body again. Jumping to my feet, I rushed to him and grabbed his hand in mine. It was cold, just like the rest of him, a cold corpse already speeding through decaying.

"No," I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my forehead to the back of his hand, "No, this is a dream. I'm dreaming, I need to wake up!"

I glanced up and saw one of the walls had vanished just behind Five. I was looking down the very same street where Morty's Television and Radio stood, but it was a wasteland just like everything else. Right in the middle of the road were five pairs of shoes.

Somehow, I knew who they belonged to. Luther, Diego, Alison, Klaus, and Vanya's shoes were left abandoned in the middle of the road because their owners had been vaporized by a nuclear apocalypse. The apocalypse I stood in wasn't the one I grew up in, it was the one we were fighting so hard to avoid in the past.

"Why am I alive?" I choked out through sobs, "I don't want to be alone again. Please, not again."

I squeezed Five's hand more and looked back. A skeleton was looking back at me from where Five's body had been just moments ago. Dropping his hand dramatically, I scurried back and screamed.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I buried my face in between them and began to rock back and forth. It was just a dream, I had to remember, it was just a dream and I would wake up soon.

"Wake up," I muttered, "Wake up, wake up."

"Clove, wake up," another voice pierced my consciousness.

I flung my head up and stared straight into an abyss. The apocalyptic wasteland had been replaced with nothing but darkness. Even I had become darkness, I couldn't see my own hands a hair in front of my face. It was as if I had stopped existing entirely.

"Clove!"

The entire void began to shake. I glanced up and shouted, "Five?!"

"Wake up!"

Light pierced my eyelids and I began to groan. I opened my eyes and saw several blurry figures moving around me. One in particular was sitting on the couch at my side.

The first sensation I felt was a burning deep in the back of my throat. Flinging my hands to my mouth, I spun around only to have a bucket being shoved into my hands. I unleashed everything I had ever eaten into that bucket, and I didn't feel much better afterwards.

"Now that," Diego clicked his tongue, "That's nasty."

My vision was slowly coming around. I moaned and rubbed my head, holding onto the bucket as if it were my lifeline. At any moment, I could throw up again, and I intended to keep the bucket with me when it did happen.

"Clove, are you alright?" Five scooted forward slightly.

I glanced up at him. He was the one sitting on the couch at my side, and he was the one who had been shaking me and trying to pull me out of my dream. His eyebrows were tightly woven together as he looked me up and down. As I leaned my elbow on the edge of the bucket and propped up my head on my hand, he continued to look me up and down.

"Besides getting drugged and throwing up everything I've eaten in the past week?" I mumbled, "Peachy."

Luther chuckled, "Sounds like Clove to me."

Five moved just long enough for me to swing my legs back over the cushions. Once I was sitting like a normal human being, Five didn't hesitate in moving to sit beside me. I allowed my head to flop on his shoulder as he felt my forehead, "You've cooled down."

"It'll take awhile for the drugs to exit her system," Evelyn swapped my used bucket for a clean one, "You might want to keep a bucket on you."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Can drugs give you a fever?"

"Coming off them can make it seem like you have one."

I rubbed my eyes and groaned yet again. My head was pounding, but it was slowly getting better. Someone handed me a glass of water and I gratefully began to drink it. When I stopped for a breath, I glanced up at Five, "How long was I out?"

"Just a few hours," Five took my cup and put it on the side table, "What happened?"

"Long story short, I went looking for you and instead I found the Twins. They drugged me, threw me in a trunk, and I crashed the car in order to escape."

Vanya frowned, "You could have died."

"But, I didn't," I raised a finger in the air, "I've done far worse and walked away in one piece."

"I'm sorry, I should've been there," Five muttered.

Diego flung his hands up in the air, "Once again, the Tin Man proves he does have a heart."

"I will kill you, Diego," Five spat.

"Sure you will, Five, sure you will."

"Don't be sorry," I turned my attention back to my friend, "It would've been just the same if we were together."

Five shook his head. Based on how the Twins have been attacking so far, it wasn't hard to guess they wouldn't attack until I was alone. If they couldn't find me alone, they would lure me out just like they had done before. It was easy to see they were after me and only me.

"They're not Commission," I blurted out.

Five frowned, "Who else could they be?"

"I don't know, but they aren't Commission."

"Wait, hang on," Luther raised his hands, "Are you suggesting there's two time traveling agencies sending assassins after us?"

"Maybe? I'm not sure."

Diego crossed his arms, "What makes you think they aren't Commission?"

"Commission doesn't kidnap," Five answered for me, "Unless it's to get to their target, and Commission sure as hell doesn't kidnap their target."

I raised three fingers, "That's three times now they've tried to kidnap me, and three times they could have killed me."

"And three times they specifically waited to get Clove alone when the rest of us were just around the corner."

"They could be taking us out one by one," Diego suggested.

"No, no they couldn't," Five sighed, "That's not how Commission works."

I glanced up at Five, looking at his face without ever taking my head from his shoulder, "Who else could they be?"

"I don't know- that's what worries me."

The more I thought about the Twins, the more my head hurt. It was so blatantly obvious that they weren't Commission, yet there wasn't any other answer. In order to find us, they had to time travel and they had to know where to look. In order to do both, they had to have the Infinite Switchboard and only one agency had that. It was impossible for there to be another, but it seemed like the only option.

Evelyn brought me a sandwich as Elliot tried to convince her to give me some of his tuna mold. When I took the plate from her, I wrinkled my nose, food was the last thought on my mind. Only once she and Five both began to glare at me did I finally cave and start eating the sandwich in tiny bites.

"Now that we know Clove's not dead," Diego stood in the middle of the room and glanced at all of us, "We have another problem."

I groaned, "Naturally."

"And what's that?" Five asked.

Diego pulled a paper from his pocket and held it out to Five between two fingers. Five used one hand to take the paper from Diego and open it. Peering over his shoulder, I scanned the invitation and raised an eyebrow.

"Where did you get this?" Five demanded.

"His butler brought it to us," Luther spoke between bites of egg, "Dad's inviting us to a 'light supper'."

He wrinkled his nose as he said 'light supper', as if the term came with dark connotations for him. Glancing up at Five, I muttered, "What's a light supper?"

"Nobody eats, everybody talks," Five sighed.

Luther sighed, "It's clearly a set up."

"Obviously," Diego shrugged on his shirt, "But, I still think we should go."

"Says the guy who already got stabbed once this week."

"Burn," I giggled, earning a glare from Diego.

Five gazed at the paper in his hand for just a moment longer before dropping it on the coffee table. When he leaned back, I could see his eyes were staring at something nobody could see despite being latched to the invitation. His fingers repeatedly curled in and out of fists as I watched him, my eyebrows slowly knitting together.

"Oh, believe me, him and I are going to have words," Diego stated.

I scooted up slightly to sit just a little bit straighter, "Five, what's wrong?"

My voice was just low enough for us to hear. Meanwhile, Luther looked at Vanya, "Would you tell him that he's nuts?"

"I think we should go," Vanya shrugged.

Five cut his eyes to me and whispered quietly, "How are you feeling?"

Diego grinned, "See?"

"Vanya," Luther nearly spat out his eggs, "Of all people, you should hate Dad the most."

"Come on, is he really that bad?"

"Better," I answered Five in a low whisper, "The drugs are wearing off, I can't promise how strong my shields can be but I'm alive."

Five nodded, "How are you for going on a walk?"

"Fit as a fiddle."

"Damn, this guy," Vanya fell back after listening to Diego and Luther list off all of Reginald Hargreeves' sins.

Five looked me up and down as if making sure I wasn't kidding. I nodded, doing my best to convince him. The sandwich did help, but throwing up helped even more. I felt more like myself with every passing minute, I could even see clearly and my hands weren't shaking as badly. When Five finally decided I was well enough to go for a walk, he rocketed up right in the middle of his sibling's conversation, "While you three bicker like nine-year-olds, Clove and I have some business to attend to. We'll meet you there."

"What sort of business?" Diego demanded.

Five turned to help me up, "Business, Diego, it's irrelevant. We'll meet you there."

"No way, nu-uh," Evelyn stepped in front of Five and me, "You need to rest, Clove."

"Evelyn, I'm fine," I rolled my eyes.

She crossed her arms, "You were drugged, kidnapped, and nearly died!"

"I didn't nearly die."

"You nearly died, Clove!"

"Evelyn, I think you're overreacting."

"Overreacting?!" Evelyn pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

I winked, "Nope."

"Fine, just no shields."

"No promises."

"Clove!"

"Fine, one promise, no shields."

"Thank you."

Evelyn was still frowning whenever Five warped us out. We appeared on the sidewalk just outside of Elliot's place. Quickly, Five began to walk down the streets with me right at his side.

"Let's get some coffee," Five stopped at the curb before quickly crossing the street.

I jumped off the curb and hurried after him, "And tea!"

"And tea."

Five was silent the entire walk to the diner. Silence between us could either be one of two things; comfortable or worrying. When you've known someone as long as Five and I have known each other, the silence isn't so bad. Knowing someone so long also comes with being able to read them like a book no matter how hard they tried to keep their covers closed. As we hurried off to the diner, I could sense something was wrong.

The diner we went to had relatively no patrons. There were a few people at the bar, and one tucked away in a corner. Five and I were able to fall into a booth at the very front and be out of earshot of everyone. We waited until the waitress had brought us our drinks and was out of earshot to finally start talking.

"I just got out of a meeting with the Handler," Five tapped his fingers on his mug.

I nearly choked on my tea, "The Handler?! Alone?!"

"Lila was supposed to lure us both out," Five smirked, "She's really terrible at her job."

"What does Lila have to do with this?"

"She's the Handler's unholy offspring."

It took me a moment to fully comprehend what he just said. Blinking, I glanced at my mug and muttered, "Holy shit."

When I looked back up, I saw Five smirking at me with an expecting look in his eyes. He all but waved for me to continue, his smirk quickly getting on my nerves. Rolling my eyes, I sighed, "Alright, just say it."

"I told you so," Five spoke into his coffee mug.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I chuckled as I rolled my eyes, "You were right, Five, I should have trusted your instincts."

"After forty-five years, I think you would've learned that lesson."

"Ah, but I am a stubborn little shit."

"Something we can both agree on."

I playfully pushed his shoulder as we both laughed. As Five sipped his coffee, I asked, "What did the slithery snake want this time?"

"She's staging a coup," Five held the mug tightly between his palms.

"A coup?"

"She's taking over the Commission, Clove."

He met my eyes and I could see all the sincerity behind them. Part of me wanted to believe this was a joke, but all of me knew it wasn't. Staging a coup was exactly what the Handler would do, especially after nearly dying. I furrowed my brow, "What about the Board of Directors?"

The board of directors was the most well guarded secret in the Commission. Nobody knew who they were or even what they did. All we knew was they were the top dogs of the Commission, and that was all we needed to know.

"According to the Handler, that's where you and I come in," Five sipped his coffee nonchalantly.

I frowned deeply, "I know where this is going and I don't like it."

"Neither do I," Five set his mug on the table and sighed, "She proposed a deal. If you and I assassinate the board of directors, she will send all of us back to 2019."

"What about the apocalypse?"

"Once we're gone, it won't happen."

"And the 2019 apocalypse?"

"She assured me it would be avoided."

My frown deepened, "She sure has changed her tone, last time we met she swore up and down the apocalypse had to happen."

"According to her, she only said that because that was her job," Five frowned, "If her coup works, the timeline would be hers."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Neither do I."

If the Handler had control of the entire timeline, who knows what she would do. She could cause the world to end yet again, and we would have to face yet another apocalypse. At the same time, perhaps she would just maintain the timeline. The Handler was a tricky person, you could never quite anticipate what she would do next. Sometimes I wondered if even she knew what to do next.

"I told her I would think about it," Five sipped his coffee, "She isn't our last option yet, and, with any luck, she won't be."

I glanced up at him, "You really think your Dad will have the answers?"

"He's the last viable option, or else we'll have to make a deal with the Devil herself."

Neither option sounded good, but one was definitely worse than the other. Five and I had seen where deals with the Handler could get us, and it was never a good place. Taking a deep breath, Five said, "By the end of tonight, we'll know."

"We still have time, Five," I stated, "The world doesn't end for another five days, we still have time."

Five shook his head, "This started with time travel, and it'll end the same way too. If we don't get out of this timeline, we can't stop the apocalypse and we can't escape The Swedes and The Twins. We have to get out for our safety as well as the safety of the world."

For a moment, I fell silent. I knew he was right but all I wanted was for there to be another option. Making a deal with the Handler was less than ideal, it would come back to bite us without a doubt.

"It's different this time," Five sighed, "We didn't know how easy we had it the first time around."

I chuckled, "Who would've thought we'd be nostalgic for the end of the world."

"We've done weirder."

Both of us laughed into our drinks. I glanced up at Five to see his eyebrows were still knit together. Reaching across the table, I grabbed his wrist and squeezed, "It might be different this time, but we'll face this the same way we face everything else. Together."

"Together," Five put his hand on top of mine and squeezed, "One thing's for sure, we have to get our family out of here no matter what it takes."

A smile tugged at my lips when he said our family. Retracting my hand, I took another sip of my tea, "Well, we have two potential options in the next few hours."

"Hopefully we won't have to resort to the second," Five glanced at the clock on the wall and stood, "We're going to be late."

I slapped a few bills on the counter before following Five out, "You go on ahead, I'll go back with Elliot and Evelyn."

I figured this would be just like the last time Diego and Five went after Reginald Hargreeves. They might be my family, but he was not. He was their Dad, not mine, and reuniting with him was their family event. Not mine. It wasn't my place to be there, and I recognized that, which is why I willingly stepped back each and every time.

"No, wait," Five caught my arm just as I was turning to leave, "Please come."

I turned to face him. His eyes were large and shaking ever so slightly. It was rare for Five to show any vulnerability whatsoever, seeing him finally open up was almost shocking. All I could do was blink as he gently grabbed my other hand, "I know my family will be there but, I don't- I don't want to do this alone. Just knowing you're there is comforting."

"Five, I'll always be with you," I smiled, "I can wait out in the hall while you talk to the old man."

"Thank you."

"Always."

Five smiled before quickly frowning, "If you tell anyone about this-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I smirked, "You'll kill me. Like you'd get the chance."

"Don't test me."

"Don't test me."

Five rolled his eyes as we both began to make our way down the street.


	17. Rude

Reginald Hargreeves was not one for theatrics but he did like to show what he was worth. The place he had invited his children to was a restaurant at the very top of one of the fanciest hotels in Dallas. Perhaps he had chosen it on purpose, it would be difficult to escape the top floor of a twenty-five story building. What's more, it would be difficult to pull any tricks.

There was no doubt in my mind Reginald Hargreeves was suspicious of these seven people who appeared seemingly out of nowhere and have been following him relentlessly. While he might not suspect superhero children from the future, I'm sure he had his list of potential answers. None of which even came close to reaching the truth.

"Think the others will come?" I kept my hands in my pockets as Five and I approached the dimly lit hotel.

Five frowned, "I don't know, they're as unpredictable as they are ridiculous."

"Careful, Five, or they might believe you care about them."

Five rolled his eyes as we stepped inside. The interior of the hotel was a lot more like an office building than a hotel. There were hardly any chairs, and there wasn't even a desk to check in. The entire place was deserted, allowing Five and me to climb up the curved staircase and right to the elevator bank.

Five hit the button to summon the elevator and stepped back. We were shoulder-to-shoulder as we waited, both of us subconsciously mirroring the other with a single foot jutted out and our hands tucked deeply into our pockets.

The elevator came just moments later. Five and I both stepped inside, with Five pausing to hit the button for the very top floor. I leaned on the wall and watched the doors slowly slide shut until a hand appeared to stop them.

"Wait up," Diego stepped inside before the door was fully open.

Five stepped aside as I grinned. Alison appeared around the corner with Klaus closely behind her, "Hold it!"

"Hey everyone," Klaus drunkenly stated, not bothering to take off his sunglasses despite being indoors.

Vanya came in next, timidly stepping to the side and pressing herself up against the wall. She glanced at each of us individually and shot us smiles, giving Five the longest smile of all.

"Excuse me," Luther stepped in and nearly took up the entire elevator.

The doors only began to shut when all seven of us were tightly packed inside. I was stuck between the wall and Five, with Alison pressing into my left side. I peered over Five's shoulder and grinned as he spoke, "Good, we're all here."

For a moment, all of the Hargreeves were silent. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, and I could've sworn Diego reached to his side to do just that.

I wanted to give them words of comfort but nothing came to mind. Glancing from each sibling's tense faces, I wanted to hug them and tell them it would be alright but all I could do was stay silent. It was Alison who broke the silence by turning to me as we were halfway up, "Are you going in too, Clove?"

"Nah, this is a family event," I placed a hand on Five's shoulder and smiled, "I'm just here for moral support."

"We're gonna need all the moral support we can get," Diego wrinkled his nose.

I smiled, "I'll be right outside, all you need to do is scream and I'll come running."

Five shot me a smile which quickly turned into a frown. His nose wrinkled as Alison covered her mouth with her sweater and Vanya gagged. It took me a moment to register the putrid stench slowly filling up the elevator. I quickly took off my hat and covered my nose and mouth.

"Luther!" Klaus shouted.

"Sorry," Luther mumbled, "I'm nervous."

Luckily, the elevator opened moments later. We all dove out, grumbling different obscenities about Luther and his nervous gas. I spun around and hit the button for a different elevator in order to avoid the one Luther stunk up.

"I'll be right outside," I flashed a smile at Five as the elevator climbed up the floors.

He didn't respond, but the smile he sent me told me all I needed to know. Sometimes words didn't cut it, but actions always would. Just in the way he smiled and his shoulders relaxed, I knew just my being there, even if I was outside, was exactly the support he needed. I could understand that feeling, just knowing he was there was enough comfort for me to surge on into something I didn't particularly want to do.

"Don't do anything stupid," I stated as I stepped into the elevator.

Klaus flung up his hands and said in a sing-song voice, "No promises!"

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. As the doors started to shut, I caught Five watching me. Smiling, I pointed at my shoulder and winked at him, causing him to chuckle and roll his eyes. I didn't need to speak for him to know exactly what I was saying. He had all the luck he needed, I made sure of it.

The elevator was quiet without the rest of the Hargreeves. Just seconds after the door shut, I found myself feeling lonely despite all the others just being a few floors away. I quickly shook it off as the doors opened and I stepped back into the lobby.

It only then occurred to me that there were too many floors between me and the Hargreeves for me to actually hear them if they called. I had to hope Five would warp down to get me if they needed me, but I had the suspicion that they wouldn't. This was their father, and they were much too stubborn to ever ask for help. Even if that help was a simple hug and someone saying it would be okay.

I decided to sit outside. It was a nice night, slightly chilly, and the clouds had parted enough to see at least a few stars. I sat down on one of the steps leading up to the front door and felt the wind kiss my cheeks.

Across the driveway, a long black car was stalling. It was a fancy Rolls Royce with the driver still waiting behind the wheel. What caught my eye first was the woman sitting in the back reading a book.

"Grace?" I muttered under my breath.

The woman looked exactly like Grace Hargreeves, the robot Five and his siblings called mother. From what they had told me, Reginald built Grace when they were children, so she shouldn't exist in 1963. Unless Reginald based her on a real person who just so happened to be waiting for him to get out of his meeting with his future children.

"Son of a bitch," I muttered.

Grace turned a page in her book and glanced up at the top floor. I could be assured that Reginald was already up there, perhaps he was already meeting with the Hargreeves. I braced my elbow on my knee and put my head in my hand, sighing.

The night was quiet, almost too quiet for comfort. After being with the Hargreeves for so long, I had gotten used to the constant talking. Their lives were chaos, and, when all six got together in one room, you could be sure they would never shut up. It thought I would always like the quiet, I was never one for many noises even before getting stuck in the silence of the apocalypse. Being with the Hargreeves was different, with them it wasn't just overstimulating noise, it was home.

My feet began to tap in an effort to make any sort of noise. I glanced up at the moon and sighed just as nearby bushes rustled. My guard instantly went up and I was on high alert. My very first thought was, 'Shit, they found us.'

Soaring over the top of the bush and straight into my lap was a paper airplane. It was small, made out of only half of a perfectly white paper. As if controlled, the airplane soared right into my lap.

My blood began to pump much faster as I slowly moved to open it. Glancing around, I saw nothing but the stalled Rolls Royce with Grace inside. I slowly opened the paper airplane and nearly sprung to my feet right then and there.

All around the hotel was concrete. If it wasn't concrete, it was dead grass, long since turned a light brown color. There was not a single patch of clovers for miles, but there, sitting in the paper airplane as if plucked just moments ago, was a three-leaf clover.

It was a message and I knew exactly who sent it and what they wanted. Frowning, I crumpled the paper with the clover in it and flung it over my shoulder. I jumped to my feet and balled my fists, biting my lip and sneering, "I have had it up to here with this bullshit!"

Without stopping to think, I stormed off towards the thicket. Had I taken a moment to really think about what I was about to do, perhaps I would have turned around and gone upstairs to get back-up. These Twins had proven to be efficient, and while I had handled them twice already, I was still beaten up from the encounter that morning. I was not in fighting condition but I let my impulses take control and I practically dove straight into the thicket.

For a few steps, all I saw were bushes. The hotel had perfectly taken care of grounds with well groomed bushes and trimmed trees. Most of the bushes lining the driveway stood at least ten feet tall, meaning the lawn behind them was blocked from the view of the road. The large trees made a canopy that covered most of the lawn, blocking the view from the upper floors as well. I didn't even stop to consider they were luring me out of view on purpose.

When I finally stepped out of the thicket, I came face-to-barrel with a shotgun. The pantsuit twin, who hadn't changed since she arrived, held the shotgun to my forehead with a perfectly steady hand. The gun didn't so much as tremble.

"Bonjour, Clove," the pantsuit twin smiled. Hello, Clove.

I knew two languages, English and French. Both came from my childhood in Quebec, and both had served me well. Smirking, I looked her up and down. 

"Alors tu parles," I sighed, "Écoute, gamin, je ne suis pas vraiment d'humeur à me battre." So you do speak. Look, kid, I'm not really in the mood for a fight.

"Je peux vous assurer que ce ne sera pas vraiment un combat." I can assure you this won't be much of a fight.

"À moins que vous ne sortiez cette arme de mon visage, je peux vous assurer que ce sera le cas." Unless you get that gun out of my face, I can assure you it will be.

"Ne faites rien de trop téméraire," the sweater twin cocked a gun behind her sister, "Ou bien votre ami ne vivra pas pour le regretter." Don't do anything too rash. Or else your friend won't live to regret it.

I finally let my eyes travel past the pantsuit twin to see the sweater twin standing behind her sister. She had a small pistol in her hand, the barrel pointed directly into Evelyn's temple. Whenever I laid eyes on my friend, I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from killing them right then and there.

Evelyn was kneeling on the ground at the feet of the Sweater Twin. She was tied and gagged, her hands connected to her legs as the rope traveled up her body. What I noticed first was the blood covering her usually pristine clothes. It was obvious she had put up a fight when the Twins kidnapped her, the marks of that fight were all over her body. She was more bruise than flesh, and both of her eyes had nearly swollen shut. Blood dripped from her nose as well as several gashes on her face. She was covered in dirt, blood, and tears. As the Sweater Twin held a gun to her temple, Evelyn was breathing hard and staring directly at me. Tears poured from her eyes but she never made a single sound.

I did my best to calm myself down. Any rash moves could make them pull the trigger and Evelyn would be dead. The drugs the Twins gave me that morning were still in my system, they might have worn off ever so slightly but there was still no telling the effect it would have on my shields. I had to do this carefully and intelligently or else both of us were as good as dead.

"Alors, tu m'as enfin eu," I spoke in a low, monotone voice, "Et maintenant?" So, you finally got me. What now?

The pantsuit twin smiled, "Maintenant, nous vous donnons le choix." Now, we give you a choice.

"Soit tu viens avec nous," the Sweater Twin added, "Ou nous tuons tous ceux que vous aimez, à commencer par elle." Either you come with us, or we kill everyone you care about, starting with her.

She pushed the gun further into Evelyn's temple, making her squeeze her eyes shut. Evelyn was the one to have in a crisis, not only could she respond like lightning but she always managed to keep her wits about her. Even as she had been beaten half to death and had a gun held to her head, she never once made a single noise. She didn't scream, she didn't whimper, she just stayed silent and let me handle it.

"You're not Commission, are you?" I asked myself more than I asked them.

The Pantsuit Twin smirked, "What gave it away?"

"So you could speak English this whole time and let me suffer in French?"

"Suffering is the best part."

"You're determined to kidnap me instead of kill me," I returned to their earlier question, "My only question is, why?"

"The answer is simple, you need to time travel again and we're here to make sure that happens," Sweater Twin responded.

"No shit, Sherlock, what do you think we've been trying to do?"

"You've been doing it all wrong," the Pantsuit Twin spoke, "There are more splinters to be made, and traveling with a briefcase doesn't make those splinters."

I furrowed my eyebrows and glanced between the Twins. They both bore the same steady yet maniacal grin, like their plan was crazy but they knew, without a doubt, it was going to work.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Everything is engineered, Clove," the Sweater Twin explained, "Everything, including you."

"I hate to break it to you, but that's not how babies are made."

Pantsuit Twin smirked, "But you aren't any ordinary baby, now are you?"

I met her eyes and nearly had to look away. Chills ran up and down my spine, but I did my best to ignore them. Clenching my fists, I asked, "What are you getting at?"

"Do you really think you met Number Five by chance?" the Sweater Twin asked.

I frowned, "We were the last two people on Earth, of course we would meet."

"And how exactly did you get to the end of the world?"

"I stole a briefcase, it just so happened to be the time traveling sort."

"Do you really think a briefcase would just be left unattended?" the Pantsuit Twin's voice became silky smooth like a spider's web, "Who do you think planted the briefcase, Clove? One that was set to send you straight to the exact hour the world ends?"

My blood began to run cold. Before then, I never found it odd that the briefcase I stole all those years ago just so happened to already be programmed to send me straight to the apocalypse. Time traveling via briefcase didn't happen on accident, I always thought it was just a freak thing. As if the very next place the agent I stole from was supposed to go was the end of the world, just like Hazel and Cha Cha were supposed to go to 1968 after they got through with Five and me in 2019.

"You're lying," I spat.

"Everything is engineered," the Sweater Twin matched her sister's voice, "Including you, Clove, and you would do well to remember that."

"Why?"

The Pantsuit twin smirked, "Chronologie éclatée."

"Splintered timeline," I whispered.

Nothing made sense, nothing except the briefcase. Before then, I had never stopped to consider how odd it was that I just so happened across a briefcase I was able to steal that just so happened to transport me to just moments before the world ended. I never questioned it, I always thought it was pure chance. Pure luck. Never once did I think anything like that could be engineered, now I wondered why I had never thought of it before.

I didn't know where the Twins came from, I didn't know what their goal was, or what they were saying. A million thoughts ran through my head, but my mind zeroed in on one thing; splintering the timeline. I thought back to training at the Commission, where a talking briefcase told us how delicate the timeline was and how easy it was to break it. I remembered the Handler saying everything in the timeline must be a specific way or else it would splinter, break, and explode. I remembered back to everything I had ever learned about the timeline and I couldn't help but wonder how the Hell I was involved in all this.

"You're our catalyst, Clove," both twins spoke at the same time, "It's time for you to combust."

The Sweater Twin cocked her gun once more and all thoughts suddenly left my mind. I had a million and one questions but no time to answer them. If I didn't act fast, Evelyn would die or I would be taken God only knows where. I had to think and I had to think fast. The one thing I knew was that I couldn't go with them and I couldn't let them kill Evelyn. Somehow, I had to get us both out of here. My very first priority was getting Evelyn out and safe.

"Come with us, Clove," the Sweater Twin said, "Or else she dies."

Evelyn glanced up at me and I felt my heart lurch. She was a kind, warm hearted, innocent person and she did not deserve this. Looking at her, I could see a broken woman who had been through much more than she ever deserved. Deep down, I knew it was all my fault and I knew, if we stayed together, she would only go through more.

"Ungag her," I demanded.

The Sweater Twin glanced at the Pantsuit Twin, who nodded. Slowly, the Sweater Twin took off Evelyn's gag and allowed her to take a deep breath. She flung her head to look at me.

"Evelyn, I need you to promise me something," I said, "As soon as I'm gone, you'll leave."

Evelyn blinked, "Wha-Clove!"

"I'm sorry," my voice cracked and I quickly tried to cover it by clearing my throat, "I'm sorry, this happened because of me and I'm sorry."

"No, Clove, this isn't your fault."

"It is, my life is kill or be killed and I should've known better than to bring you into this," I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, "Promise me, you'll leave."

"Clove-"

"Evelyn, promise me."

"I-I promise."

I opened my eyes and smiled at her. Turning to the Pantsuit Twin, I nodded, "Alright, let her go and I'll go with you."

"Good choice," the Pantsuit Twin responded.

The Sweater Twin moved to untie Evelyn as the Pantsuit Twin never once took her eyes off of me. I remained relaxed and calm despite my heart beginning to speed up. As soon as Evelyn was untied, she limped to me. She stopped just a few feet away but I could feel that she wanted to hug me.

"Clove-" she couldn't seem to bring herself to say more.

"It's alright, Evelyn, I'll be fine," I smiled, "Trust me."

Evelyn bit her lips and nodded. Before she could hobble off, the Sweater Twin grabbed her arm, "Tell Number Five that, if he's looking, he'll find her in Quebec, 1989."

"Wait- what?" I asked but I wasn't given time to answer.

Both the Pantsuit Twin and the Sweater Twin kept their gun barrels pressed into my back as we walked away from the lawn where Evelyn stood trembling. They pushed me forward, directing me by poking their gun barrels into my sides.

My heart was beating ten times faster than it should by the time we reached the road. Save for a single car at the end, one which I suspected they were leading me to, the road was empty. It was exactly as I hoped, nobody around to catch any bullets that were definitely about to go flying.

As the Twins guided me out onto the middle of the road, I took a deep breath. My fingers clenched together and two individual shields formed around the barrels of each twins' guns. I had to keep myself from cheering, the shields were strong enough to catch the guns and hold them steady. The drugs must have worn off just enough to make those shields. They instantly dropped the guns hovering in shields and dove for their spares as I whipped around.

"Haven't you heard?" their guns dropped from my shields and straight into my hands, "I'm one of the best."

The Twins just barely had a grip on their spare guns by the time I started shooting. With a gun in each hand, I aimed for the Twins and shot until I couldn't shoot anymore. They scattered, knowing they couldn't shoot back, and dove behind their car.

The shotgun ran out of bullets before the pistol, Dropping the shotgun with a loud clang, I gripped the pistol tightly and began to sprint back towards the hotel. The Twins shot after me but I flung up a shield to block each bullet. When I made it to the short stone walls surrounding the property, I dove over them and began to scramble into the thicket.

I sprinted around a tree and nearly ran face first into Evelyn. She was still standing exactly where I had left her, and trembling the entire time. When she saw me, she gasped, "Clove! You escaped!"

"Sh, not quite," I whipped around the tree and pulled her behind it.

I could hear the Twins stalking through the grounds. They were looking for me, but I had to make them believe I had left. Gesturing to Evelyn to be quiet, I silently told her to follow me as I fell to my knees. We crawled under a bush and remained totally silent as two pairs of feet appeared in the clearing.

The Twins looked for a few minutes. They peered around trees, through bushes, and even up into the branches but they never spotted us. Only once they had been gone several minutes did I finally allow myself to relax.

"I didn't think you were coming back," Evelyn flung her arms around my neck whenever we finally got out.

I hugged her middle, "Of course I was coming back, I wasn't about to let myself get kidnapped."

"I should've known," Evelyn shook her head, "You really are the Lucky Clover after all."

I hugged her tightly. For a moment, I could believe everything was alright, but a wave of realization hit me. I gently pushed her away and smiled, "Evelyn, you have to go."

Every part of me wanted her to stay. We had spent ten months together, ten really good months. She showed me that it was possible to have a life outside of the chaos I lived in. Evelyn taught me the value in slowing down, of stopping to smell the roses. She gave me a new appreciation for old books and warm tea, and I wasn't ready to let go.

I knew it was for her safety, but I didn't want to let her go. We had nearly a year together but it felt like no time at all, I wasn't ready to say goodbye. By the way tears hung unshed in her eyes, I could guess she felt the same, "Clove, no, please."

"Evelyn, you have to go," I squeezed her arms and smiled in an effort to keep myself from crying, "I know you wanted an adventure, but you almost died tonight. I can't let that happen again."

Evelyn shook her head, "No- no, I can do better! I can learn to defend myself, I can get a weapon! I can-"

"Evelyn, no, it won't do any good," I sighed, "They're after you now and they won't stop until their mission is complete. You've been through enough, I can't make you go through more. You have to get as far away from Dallas as you can."

"Clove, I don't want to leave you," Evelyn whispered.

I squeezed her arms, "I don't want to say goodbye either, but I want you to be safe most of all. You have to go, you have to keep on living and you won't be able to do that hanging around me. You have to go."

My voice cracked at the very end, but I didn't care. Before then, I had never said goodbye to anybody. I never expected it to hurt so much. It felt like my heart was being ripped into two but I knew it was for the better. I would never see Evelyn again, but she would be better off away from me. There's a reason all my friends are superheroes, and that's because they're the only ones who can survive the crazy life we've all been given.

"I-I have family," Evelyn sniffled, "In Quebec City."

I paused a moment before chuckling through the tears, "That is painfully ironic."

"What?"

"Nothing- nothing," I shook my head before squeezing her arms, "Go to Quebec City, open a bookstore, live your life free from time travel, assassins, and superpowered kids who always manage to bring about the end of the world."

"I don't want to leave you alone," Evelyn whispered.

I smiled, "I won't be alone. I'll have my family."

Evelyn squeezed my arms before pulling me into another hug. For several minutes, we just stood there, putting all of our emotions into that hug. I squeezed her like there wouldn't be a tomorrow because, in a way, there wouldn't be. After that night, I would never see Evelyn Noble again and I wasn't quite sure how to handle it. I never said goodbye before, I didn't know how.

"Goodbye, Clove," Evelyn spoke whenever we pulled apart.

I gave her a soft smile, "Goodbye, Evelyn."

She gave my arms one last squeeze before pulling away. For a moment, just a moment, we stared at each other and I had the urge to ask her to stay. Instead, I bit my tongue and watched her walk away.

I watched until she vanished into the night, turning a corner and leaving my life forever. Fighting back tears, I turned towards the hotel and slowly began to shuffle towards the door. The car holding Grace was gone, the entire place seemed deserted. I didn't even think about it as I fell to sit on the very same step I had been sitting on just moments before.

I gazed down past the gate Evelyn had just vanished through. In my life, I didn't have many friends, I never had much of a chance. Five was the first friend I ever made on my own, and Evelyn was the second. Evelyn was the second friend I made, but she was the first goodbye.

I pulled my knees to my chest and finally allowed myself to cry.


	18. All I Do Is Wear Cool Outfits, Tell Jokes, and Hide My Depression

I had been stabbed, shot, choked, and beaten. Every bone in my body had been broken more than once, hell, I grew up in the damned apocalypse. I had felt every pain known to man, but nothing hurt as badly as goodbye. I knew I would have to say goodbye to Evelyn, we would have to leave 1963 eventually, but nothing prepared me for the pain goodbye brought.

After a while, the pain turned into numbness. When emotions run so strong and so high, to where your very bones ache with the pain, eventually your body just shuts down. You become numb. I sat on the stairs leading up to the hotel as my entire body shut down. I wasn't even sure if Five was still upstairs, I could easily be waiting for no one but I couldn't bring myself to move. All I could do was sit there, my knees pulled to my chest and my head sunk low between them. My eyes were locked on a tree, watching as the leaves moved ever so gently with the wind. I watched the leaves blow and wondered why I couldn't feel the wind that moved them.

"Clove?"

I turned ever so slightly in order to see Five slowly walking down the stairs towards me. I saw him in my peripherals, through the curtain of hair I was glad covered my face. By the time he sat down next to me, I was gazing at the tree once again, "I was worried you left."

"I wouldn't leave without you," Five's voice was soft and I didn't have to look to know his eyebrows were furrowed as they always were when he was worried, "What's wrong?"

It was difficult to find the strength to reply. I felt like my entire body had shut down, starting with my emotions. All I felt was nothing, nothing at all, and oddly that was scarier than feeling everything all at once.

"Clove, what happened?" Five gently grabbed my hand.

His touch brought me back down to Earth. I dropped my knees and looked at him. All of my emotions came surging back as my chest began to ache. Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes and, one by one, began to trace tiny streams down my cheeks.

Five had his arms open before I fell into them. His arms wrapped around me and the whole world vanished. I felt safe once again, like nothing could get to me. I was safe to cry and I let it all out. Burying my face in his chest, I squeezed my eyes shut and shuddered as tears made dark circles on his sweater vest.

"Are we cursed?" I sniffled.

Five rubbed my back, "Cursed? What do you mean cursed?"

"Everyone always leaves," I sniffled, "They die or they leave. Are we cursed?"

"I don't know," Five squeezed me tightly, "Maybe- maybe we're just unlucky."

I clenched my eyes even tighter as a large lump blocked my throat. Five held me as I shook out my tears, releasing tiny gasps as I did. When I got my breath back, Five asked, "What happened?"

"They found Evelyn," I muttered, "They found her, they beat her, they kidnapped her, and they nearly killed her all because of me. It's my fault."

"I'm going to kill them."

"First she lost her bookstore, then she nearly lost her life. I-I couldn't put her through more, I made her promise to leave."

Five pulled my hair out of my face as I continued through my tears, "She's gone and I'm never going to see her again."

For a few minutes, Five didn't respond. He just held me as I worked through my grief. I choked through tears, my body quaking the entire time. His sweater vest had soaked through by the time I finally caught my breath.

"It isn't your fault, Clove," Five whispered, "We didn't ask to be born. None of us asked for this, we were born unfortunate."

"It's not fair."

Five rubbed my back, "I know- I know, it feels like our whole lives are unfair. We've lost more than we've gained and it isn't fair."

"I've never said a real goodbye before," I sniffled, "I didn't think it would hurt this badly."

Five squeezed my shoulders even tighter after I said that. I squeezed him back. Goodbyes tore at the soul, breaking already broken bits into even tiny pieces. Right then and there, I knew, I never wanted to say goodbye again.

"Will you promise me something?" I shifted slightly to where I was looking up at him.

Five gazed down at me, "Anything."

"Promise me we'll never have to say goodbye."

A small smile grew across Five's lips. He pulled me away slightly so he could look me in the eye. Holding my shoulders he said, "I promise you, Clove, we'll never have to say goodbye"

"I promise too," I sniffled as he pulled me back in for a hug.

"Maybe we are cursed," Five rubbed my shoulders, "And maybe we were born unfortunate, but we're still lucky."

"We are?"

"Of course we are, you're the Lucky Clover after all," Five smiled, "I feel lucky to have met you."

I squeezed him, "I feel lucky to have met you too. Even if it was at the end of the world."

"Even at the end of the world."

Five chuckled as I squeezed him harder. He squeezed back, bringing me even more down to Earth as my tears slowly lessened. The ache in my heart wouldn't go away for a long time, but it became tolerable.

Perhaps we were cursed, but Five was right, we were lucky. Even if meeting him was engineered, I'm glad it happened. I wouldn't want to survive three apocalypses with anybody else.

I feel like there are four types of love in this world; love for yourself, love for your lover, love for your family, and love for your friends. Each one could be just as strong as the next. Love for your friends was in no way lesser than love for your partner or for your family, in a way, friends were family. I knew, deep in my soul, that I loved Five with all my heart. Not only was he my best friend, but he was my family. He was my brother in every sense of the word and I didn't know what I would do without him. No matter how many times we had to grow up, I'd want to do it with him every time.

"Hey, Five," I muttered.

Five glanced down at me, "Yes?"

"You're my dearest friend in the world and I love you."

Five squeezed my shoulders and chuckled, "I love you too, Clove."

"I also want you to know, I'm never letting this go."

"Letting what go?"

"The fact that you do have a loveable, optimistic side."

"If you tell anyone-"

"Yeah, I know, you'll kill me," I rolled my eyes and chuckled, "You've threatened that countless times, Five, and we both know you wouldn't know what to do without me."

Five rolled his eyes as well, "Careful, or you'll inflate your already big head."

"You call that a comeback?"

Both of us laughed. It was a deep hearty laugh that seemed to last forever. Slowly, we came off our high and fell into a silence.

We sat there for who knows how long. The silence was comforting, it was a homely sort of silence. The two of us watched the trees together, still together in a hug with me nearly buried in Five's sweater vest and blazer.

Sitting there with Five, it was easy to believe everything was alright. No goodbyes, no apocalypse, no assassins, and no Commission. It was just us, and we were alright. I knew it couldn't last forever, as we were on the clock and running out of time.

"How was your meeting with your old man?" I moved so I could look up at Five once again.

"Disappointing," Five sighed, "The only advice he had was to start small."

"Start small?"

"Time travel. He told me my appetite was too big, and I should start with seconds rather than decades."

"We're gonna need a lot more than seconds to stop the apocalypse."

"That's what I said," Five sighed deeply, "We've only got one more option."

I sat back as Five ran his hands down his face. Rolling my head back, I groaned, "The she-Devil herself."

Five nodded as we both sighed. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it seemed like our only option. We had to get out of 1963 not only to avoid the end of the world but to escape the Twins and the Swedes.

"I don't like it," I stated.

"Me neither," Five stood and offered me his hand, "But we don't have a choice."

I took his hand and he helped me up. Together, we began to walk down the driveway toward the abandoned road. Five gave me a small glance, "Are you alright to do this?"

"I'm never alright to meet The Handler," I responded, "But, if you're referring to my encounter with Evil Mary-Kate and Ashely, I'm alright. They didn't get a single hit in, not that they really tried."

We rounded a corner. There were more buildings lining that street, most of it was full though empty of life. Five and I were able to walk along the street in peace.

"They weren't even trying?" Five asked.

"They only shot at me when I stole their guns," I furrowed my eyebrows, "We-we had a conversation and, I don't know, they said some pretty insane things."

Five frowned deeply, "That can't be good."

"They told me everything is engineered, including me," I ran my hands through my hair anxiously, "They said they were the ones who planted the briefcase that brought me to the apocalypse in the first place."

Had Five been drinking something, he might have spit it out, "What? I thought that was a coincidence."

"So did I, according to them, whoever they work for did it on purpose."

"Why?"

"So we could meet," I glanced at my friend.

Five returned my glance, "They wanted us to meet?"

"From what they said, yes."

"That doesn't make any sense," Five tugged at his blazer, "What is so important about us meeting?"

I frowned. My mind flashed back to my conversation with the Twins. Nothing about what they said made sense, this entire situation didn't make sense, but I remembered every word. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and said, "It wasn't so much about us meeting, but about us time traveling together."

"What do you mean?"

"They told me we've been doing it all wrong," I responded, "Time travel, I mean. They said we've been time traveling with briefcases too much, and they were going to kidnap me and take me to 1989 to force you to time travel to find me and get us both out of the timeline, presumably before we triggered yet another apocalypse."

Five gazed at me for a moment, "That doesn't make any sense, why would they force us to time travel?"

"To splinter the timeline," I whispered.

"What?"

"That's exactly what they said, to splinter the timeline," I explained, "They told me I was the catalyst and it was time to combust."

Five held up his hands, "Hang on, that doesn't make any sense."

"The Commission always said how fragile the timeline was."

"To cause apocalypses, yes," Five answered, "But to splinter the timeline? That's unheard of, not impossible, but not easy. I don't understand what you have to do with any of that."

I shrugged, my hands still in my pockets, "I don't either."

The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became. There were a lot of questions in my life and I was terrified that these Twins and whoever they worked for might have the answers. All the way from the circumstances surrounding my birth to accidentally traveling into the apocalypse.

"It doesn't make any sense," I muttered, "What do I have to does us time traveling have to do with splintering the timeline?"

Five ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know, but I don't like it."

"As if facing our third apocalypse wasn't enough, they have to go and put this on us?"

We rounded a corner and came face-to-face with yet another hotel. This one wasn't as fancy as the one Reginald Hargreeves had his children meet him in, but it wasn't a dingy motel either. There was even a red carpet leading up to the sparkling doors, and a doorman who opened them for us and bid us a goodnight.

"Right now, we need to focus on the apocalypse," Five spoke as we stepped into the elevator, "They found us in 1963, if we can get out of 1963 and get back home, perhaps we can escape them and whatever they're planning."

The doors shut and the elevator began to take us up as I spoke, "And if they follow us to 2019?"

"We'll deal with them then," Five frowned, "For now, one thing at a time, and right now that's meeting The Handler."

I knew Five was right, but something tugged at my mind telling me it wasn't that easy. We couldn't just file away different problems to deal with them one at a time, especially when one of those problems were insistent twin assassins absolutely dead-set on taking me to 1989.

We were only two people, and we could only deal with so much at a time. Perhaps Five was right and getting out of 1963 as our best chance at escaping the Twins. Right now, it seemed like our best option to fix both the apocalypse and our little assassin problem.

The elevator dinged when we reached the very top floor. When the doors opened, Five and I stepped out and I began to follow him down the hall. He seemed to know exactly where he was going as he led me to two large green doors.

Five slowly reached out to knock on the door. Quickly, as if she were waiting for us on the other side, The Handler flung open the doors. She grinned her slithery grin, much like a snake, as she gazed at us.

"Good, just in time for a drink," she began to saunter back into the room, "Good to see you Clove, I almost didn't think you made it."

I frowned as Five shut the doors behind us, "Didn't Lila tell you all about us?"

"Ah, so you met my daughter."

"Unfortunately, yes."

"We didn't come here for small talk," Five interjected.

The Handler fell onto her bed with a drink in her hand, "You thought about my deal?"

"To be clear," Five frowned, "We take out the board, you get us and our family home?"

The Handler sipped her drink, "That is the deal."

"And the apocalypse?" I asked.

"Stopped."

"What about the one in 2019?"

"Also stopped," The Handler smiled, "You'll be transported to the day after, where you'll see you and your family are the only ones with memories of either apocalypse."

Five and I glanced at each other. It was a terrible idea, both of us knew just how terrible it was. The Handler had ways of twisting her words to where we would lose in the end but she would never technically break her promise. Despite this, she was our last option.

"We're in," Five and I spoke at the same time.

The Handler smiled like she had known all along we would be. She knew she had us cornered. She was our last option, how could we refuse? Smirking, she held up a paper and handed it to Five.

He slowly unwrapped it to see the perfectly written words within the creases. Peering over his shoulder, I read the words out loud, "The Lonely Lodge Inn. Oshkonosh, Wisconsin?"

"1982," Five sighed.

The Handler grinned, "Good luck."


	19. When People Don't Listen, Kill Them

The lodge itself was small and quaint, tucked into the backwoods of Wisconsin. By walking up to the small log-cabin style inn, you wouldn't expect there was a major freeway just a few blocks away. The entire place was surrounded by trees, giving it the sort of feel of a log cabin deep in the woods, far from civilization and the perfect place to take a much needed breath.

Five and I walked up, the gravel crunching under both of our shoes. People were filing in and out of the inn. It was both good and bad that there were so many people. Good in the sense that we could easily blend in, but bad in the sense that there were more witnesses. It didn't really matter if anyone saw us, we technically didn't exist yet anyways.

The people were all dressed in Polka outfits. Clothes of poofy skirts, lederhosen, suspenders, and bonnets covered every single person we passed. Even from all the way down the driveway, I could hear the Polka music and it was grating on my soul.

"I hate Polka," Five grumbled as we made our way towards the door.

I watched two girls dance on the sidewalk, "Aw, come on, Five, it isn't so bad."

"It's the worst genre of music."

"You're just saying that because of our time in Vienna in 1841."

"I hated it then and I hate it now," Five frowned, "I'd rather lick a cheese grater."

"You say that about everything," I rolled my eyes with a bright smile across my lips.

The polka music was even louder by the time we got inside. The inn must have been old, it smelled much like mothballs and old cedar wood, exactly like an old cabin should. It was much larger on the inside than it looked on the outside, even the ceilings stretched up further than I would have guessed they could. To my surprise, the only taxidermy in the inn was a stuffed bear and a stuffed bobcat right by the front door. Generally, taxidermy was the favored décor of log cabins such as that.

Five and I stepped inside, instantly becoming overwhelmed by the noise radiating from every corner of the inn. The combination of polka music, dancing feet, and thousands of conversations made my head spin. I had to fight the urge to cover my ears as the sound quickly became over stimulating.

"Let's get this over with fast, all this noise is killing me," I mumbled.

Five glanced at me before surveying the area, "If you were the board of directors, where would you be?"

"Why don't you ask that lady?"

A tall lady was hunched over a table, organizing pamphlets. Her hazel hair was poofed all around her head much like a frizzy lion's mane. It nearly made a second head all its own, and seemed to have a mind all on its own. While the lady went one direction, her hair went in another, but she would quickly push it down without even giving it a second thought. Her lederhosen went down into a dress and held down a poofy blue-and-white striped shirt. The only way we would have known she worked at the inn was the name tag neatly pinned to her shirt.

"Excuse me," Five plastered on the same fake smile he always used with strangers he would never see again.

"Oh, goodness! You snuck up on me there," the lady spoke with a thick Midwest accent and a slight chuckle, "If you're looking for the cookies, we don't put them out until three."

"I can hardly wait, do you happen to know where the Midwest Soybean Society is meeting?"

"I sure do!" the lady laughed, "Muskallonge Banquet room, straight at the end of that hall there."

She pointed just behind her with a broad grin. Two large doors covered the entrance to the hall. A couple of young girls in Polka dresses stepped out just long enough for us to see the vending machine standing between us and the second set of doors.

"Aren't you a cute couple'a kids?" the lady gestured between us, "Brother and sister, are ya?"

Five and I exchanged glances. Five wrinkled his nose and I smiled, "What gave it away?"

Five was never one for pleasantries, but that's what made us such a good team. I took all the small talk while he kept his eyes open for enemies. The lady waved her hand and laughed, "You two look practically identical!"

Five and I, who looked absolutely nothing alike, glanced at each other. She was not the first one to tell us we were identical, but I couldn't see it. My brown hair was much lighter than Five's black, and his green eyes were much different than my brown ones. Even past that, his face was much more pointed than mine. I always had a round, baby face even when I was nearly sixty years old.

"Do you happen to have any change?" Five dug out two dollars from his pocket, eyeing the vending machine in the hall.

The lady took his bills and began to dig in her fanny pack, "You are in luck, mister, I happen to have exactly two dollars in quarters."

She poured the quarters into Five's hand and grinned. Slowly, he wrapped his fingers around the quarters and frowned, never once looking up at the lady, "You know, some say the best luck is to die at the right time."

The lady just stared at him. I gently grabbed his shoulders with both my hands and smiled at her, "Don't mind my brother, ma'am, he's been reading too many philosophy books for his own good."

"Weird kid, aren't ya?" the lady asked.

Five glared at her before hurrying off towards the vending machine. I gave the lady a small smile before hurrying after him. I could feel her watching us all the way until we vanished behind the closed doors.

We rounded to the vending machine and Five put in the first dollar. Glancing at me, he asked, "What do you want?"

"Pogo gogos," I pointed to the candy box behind the glass, "Those are my favorite."

"Really? Those taste like dirt, Clove."

"It isn't my fault you don't like wafers, Five."

He rolled his eyes and poked the buttons for the Pogo Gogo. When it fell out, I grabbed it as he put in the coins for the next one. I opened the box while Five waited for his fudge nutter.

Both of us watched as the Fudge Nutter trembled and moved forward. Just as it was about to get past the last spiral in the machine, it stopped. Five ran two anxious hands through his hair and shouted, "Come on!"

"Five take a breath," I reached forward to grab his shoulders, but he lunged out of my reach much too quickly.

He began to shake the machine furiously, "Come on! Fucking Fudge Nutter!"

He placed a single kick and shattered the glass. It was a silent shatter, something which I was grateful for. Stepping back, he released a deep breath.

"Do you feel better now?" I reached past the glass and grabbed his Fudge Nutter.

"No, not really," Five unwrapped his Fudge Nutter and took a large, angry bite, "Let's just get this over with."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

Five's default emotion seemed to always be anger. Perhaps he came from his traumatic childhood, or even more traumatic adulthood. Whenever he got frustrated, upset, anxious, or even sad, he always reverted straight to anger, often as an unhealthy coping mechanism. Anytime he was angry, I could safely assume he was feeling something much different and doing his best to cope with it. I had been with him long enough to know, the best thing to do was just step back as he worked through his emotions.

Now, his anger and frustration was justified. We were both at a Polka convention in a year we weren't supposed to be in to assassinate the board for a woman we didn't even like. All to get our family home and stop the apocalypse, and we didn't even know if it would work. After thinking we put the killing behind us for good, this was like a solid kick to the face.

We stepped up to the doors and paused. From the opposite side, I could hear a muffled voice say, "And now, onto Article Seventeen, please."

I sucked in a deep breath as Five glanced at the wall. Grinning, he tugged the fire axe off of its hooks on the wall. Flipping it his hand, he smiled, "Well balanced."

"It would have to be," I grabbed a knife off of the nearby table with a cake on it, "To chop through walls and all."

"Ready?" Five gripped the axe in both hands.

I held up my knife, energy flickering through my fingers, "Ready."

Together, we stepped into the room. It took us through a tiny hall and straight into the meeting room. There, eleven people all dressed in the same gray suits with dull eyes sat at a long table. There were five on each side with a single man sitting on the front.

I call him a man, but he was only three-quarters human. His head had long since been replaced with a fish tank housing the small goldfish that ran the entire operation. The speaker at the very base of his tank translated everything he said to the world around him while he continued to swim happily.

Five and I stepped into the boardroom and held up our weapons. As if on cue, all conversation stopped and each board member became as still as statues. I swear, not a single person in that room breathed. Only the fish man, the one the Handler called A.J. Carmichael, could speak.

"You!" he flung his hands on the table, "Call security!"

Neither Five nor I had to say a single word to work together. He took the right while I took the left. As he chopped off the arm of the person who was going to call security, I lunged forward and attacked the five board members on the right.

One stood up and seemed like he was trying to run, but he never got the chance. I jumped up to him and slit his throat before he even had the chance to leave his chair. His blood splattered all over me, but I barely even noticed. I jumped over his falling body and headed towards the remaining board members.

One of the men dove behind the woman. She raised her fists and prepared to fight. As she lunged forward to punch me, I trapped her and the man behind her in a shield. It only surrounded their heads but it was enough to cut off their air supply. I flung my hand up, sending the shield into the air and breaking their necks.

The man behind the two board members I just took out tried to get away as I was sending them into the ceiling. He never got the chance, as I flung my knife and it impaled straight into his chest. I spun around to see him fall to the ground, dead, "I didn't think that would actually work!"

The last board member on my side tried to attack me from behind. He jumped on me and wrapped his arms around my neck in an effort to snap it. Grabbing his elbows, I flipped him over my body and jumped straight onto his chest. It didn't take long to form a shield that separated his head from the rest of his body.

Five and I finished both of our sides at around the same time. As he appeared on the table in front of AJ, I jumped behind the fish-man and held my knife to his chest. Five tightened his grip on the axe and smiled as AJ shuddered, "She sent you, didn't she?"

"Does it really matter now?" Five asked.

"Whatever she offered you, I'll double it! Triple it!"

"We're not doing this for money!"

"Don't worry, we're not going to kill you, AJ," I whispered, "We've been tasked with bringing you back. Alive."

"You, yes," Five raised his axe, "But she said nothing about your body."

Just as he was about to swing his axe down, a body tackled him from behind. The same woman who met us earlier tackled Five to the ground. AJ quickly took this opportunity to slam his tank into my face, making my nose crack and begin to bleed. I hit the ground as AJ began to sprint towards the door.

"Get off me!" Five shouted.

The woman held him tightly, "You're going to pay for that vending machine little mister!"

I rolled to the side of the table Five was on and watched him elbow the woman in the face. Springing up into a crouch, I peered over the table and watched AJ nearly run through the door. Jumping straight up, I shouted, "Oh, no you don't!"

I flung up a shield just in time for AJ to run straight into it. He slammed into both the shield and the ground. I don't know which cracked his tank, but the water was quickly draining all over the floor. The rest of his body was out cold, and I allowed my shield blocking the door to fall as I turned to Five and the lady.

"I don't want to hurt you!" Five shouted.

He jumped into a crouch as the lady followed suit, "Hurt me? Oh, I'm not afraid of you, you little puss ball!"

She lunged towards Five and tackled him once again. I jumped onto the table and slid across, landing at the fireplace. Grabbing one of the Cricket mallets from the wall, I spun it in my hand and approached the place where Five was still wrestling with the lady. It only took one solid hit on the back of her head and she was out cold.

Five jumped up and straightened his blazer, "Thanks."

"No problem," I watched as he pulled the matching Cricket mallet off the wall, "You've got a little blood- well- everywhere."

"So do you."

"Shit, this is my favorite sweater."

Five rolled his eyes as I frowned. We could hear AJ slowly drowning. Together, with our Cricket mallets in hand, we approached the struggling fish. He only had a little bit of water left in his tank by the time we arrived, all the rest created a dark stain on his carpet.

"It's almost pathetic, really," I leaned on my Cricket mallet as it dug into the rug we all stood on, "The legendary AJ Carmichael, floundering in his last moments."

"He's a regular fish out of water," Five added.

"Was that a pun?"

"I can make puns too, you know."

"In all our years of friendship, I have never heard you, Five Hargreeves, make a single pun."

"Can we focus on the mission, please?"

Aj Carmichael was slowly running out of water. Any moment now, it would all be over, but we had to keep the fish alive. The Handler specifically requested we keep the fish alive, or else we won't get the briefcase that will take us home.

"Surely we can come to some sort of agreement that benefits both parties?" AJ was practically gasping, "Quid pro quo?"

"Sure, here's your quid," Five slammed his mallet into AJ's stomach.

I flipped my mallet in my hand and hit him in the chest, "I've got your pro."

"And here's your quo!"

We both slammed our mallets into what remained of his tank. The entire thing shattered, sending glass and water in every single direction imaginable. AJ began to flop around on the damp carpet.

"Now he's a fish out of water," I laughed.

Five flung back his head and sighed, blood dripping off his forehead, "Do you have the bag?"

I dug in my pockets for the small plastic bag the Handler gave us and picked up AJ with it. Using two of the cups the board members had been drinking out of just moments before, Five filled the bag as I held it. AJ was back in the water, alive and well but without a voice. I held him in the air as Five and I watched him scream.

"I wonder why she wants him alive," I frowned, "We could easily just kill him."

Five tried to rub the blood off his cheek, "I don't know, maybe she wants proof that we completed the job."

"But, of all things, the fish? He's the easiest to kill, we could swallow him whole right now."

Five wrinkled his nose, "Clove, that's disgusting!"

"What? It's just like sushi!" I exclaimed, "You can't tell me you didn't think about it."

"I'm not the one that said it."

"Ah, but you aren't denying."

"I'm not agreeing either," Five frowned, "Let's just get out of here before people start to ask questions."

I shook AJ's bag and smiled, "I couldn't agree more."


	20. My Friends are Assholes but I Love Them

Once again, we found ourselves in the very same alley behind Elliot's place that we all arrived in. The graffiti never changed and the dumpster never seemed to be emptied, the stench took over the entire alley. Even leaning on the wall opposite of the dumpster, I could smell it.

Five stood just a few inches away, doing his best to scratch the blood off of his fingers. In the past, we could easily make it out of killing without having to worry about blood stains. Most of the killing we did before was at a distance, when you were so close to your target, it was impossible not to get blood on you.

Blood had soaked through my sweater and stained my skin a sickly red color. I could feel it in every crevice of my body, all the way from around my ears to between my toes. It matted bits of my hair that I was desperately trying to scrape through. The blood was like glue, sticking my hair together and making it nearly impossible to brush out.

"You're going to go bald if you keep doing that," Five commented.

I peered at him through the hair I had separated between my fingers, "I hate blood. I hate the smell of it, the sight of it, the feel of it."

"It was unavoidable."

"I know, that doesn't mean I like it."

"I don't either," Five sighed, "I had hoped we left this life behind us."

I glanced up at him, "Maybe now we finally have."

"It always comes back."

"Maybe not this time. Maybe not after there are no more apocalypses to stop and no more deals to make."

Five curled his fingers into his palm, "There's always another deal."

"Five, honestly, it's exhausting being the only optimistic one in this friendship," I rolled my eyes.

"But what would we ever do without your unwavering optimism?" Five dropped his hand and chuckled, "Maybe this is finally the end."

"There you go! Now, was that so hard?"

Five chuckled and rolled his eyes as a loud pop was heard. Both of us went perfectly still, our ears trained on the clicking of heels. We never broke eye contact as the Handler walked up behind Five. He stuck his hand out, holding the bag containing a single goldfish just a foot from his body.

"Ah! AJ!" The Handler exclaimed, laughing and grabbing the bag, "Pathetic."

Five turned his back on the Handler and moved to lean against the wall next to me. Any of our earlier laughter and hope had gone, leaving the melancholy assassins the Handler had created so long ago. We simply stared at her, covered in blood with our mouths practically glued shut.

"Why so quiet?" the Handler chuckled, "I'd expect silence out of you, Five, but Clove? I thought you didn't have an off-switch."

"I already want to kill you, don't press your luck," I threatened.

The Handler clicked her tongue, "Perhaps I would be worried, if I wasn't holding your only chance at getting home."

I crossed my arms tightly over my body as Five examined his fingers once again. Jutting a single hip out, the Handler asked, "Why so glum?"

"All this killing, we're done with it," Five shook his head.

The Handler scoffed, "Please, am I supposed to believe that?"

"What we did today we did for our family. We did it for the world."

"Alright, you can play the hero with a heart of gold all you want," The Handler waved him off, "You are assassins, it's in your blood. You kill people, that's what you do and that is what you will always do."

"No anymore," I cut in, "We did what we had to do to save the world and save our family, now that we've done that, we're through."

The Handler smiled devilishly, "Once you've killed, you can't go back. You can't stop. Killing is a drug and, I hate to break it to you, but you're addicted."

Five and I glanced at each other but didn't say a word. Shrugging and plastering on a grin the saint's could worship, she held out a briefcase, "Here, per our agreement, this will get you and your siblings back to 2019. You have ninety minutes."

Five took the briefcase and smiled. I glanced at it before a frown slowly crossed my face, "Wait, hold up, ninety minutes?!"

"You said nothing about a time limit!" Five shouted as we both began to chase her.

"Your time is running out, do you really want to spend it arguing with me?" The Handler sauntered forward.

Five flung his arms in the air, "Our siblings are scattered across the city! We can't get them together in ninety minutes! We need more time!"

"Any more time and people will start asking questions," The Handler spat, "It is better for both of us if you get out of this timeline as quickly as you can."

I crossed my arms and frowned, "And what kind of questions would they ask, Handler? The sort that might disrupt your little coup?"

"Does it really matter?" The Handler smirked, fully knowing she had the upper hand, "You've got eighty-eight minutes now, better hurry."

Five ran a hand through his hair and shouted, "Shit!"

With his free hand, he grabbed my wrist and warped us both into Elliot's place. We appeared halfway up the stairs and were already running by the time we appeared. As we rounded the top of the stairs, both of us had to pause to read the words written on the ground in bright red blood.

"Oga For Oga," I muttered, "What the hell does that mean?"

Five glanced up the stairs, "No."

Five walked into Elliot's place first with me close behind him. I had to look around him to see the dentist chair covered with a thin baby blue sheet that was slowly turning darker. I knew what was under there before Five lifted the edge of the sheet, but it still didn't prepare me for the gruesome scene beneath the cloth. Just seeing Elliot with his mouth opened wide and poles going into his gums nearly made me throw up. I covered my mouth and gagged as Five dropped the cloth, "Shit."

"Uh, hello, Olga?" Luther's voice came from the kitchen followed by furious whispers from Diego, "Uh, hi, yes I was just wondering- uh, who am I? I'm- uh- Luther Hargreeves and-"

There was a slight scuffle in the kitchen. As Five hid the briefcase under one of Elliot's many desks, I peered around the wall. I watched as Diego ripped the phone from Luther's hand and suddenly looked like he was trying way too hard to be much darker than he actually was, "You killed one of ours Olga, now, we're coming for you. You will be dead by nightfall."

"Somehow, I think they've got the wrong guy," I muttered as Five came up from behind me.

"Hey idiots!" Five exclaimed, "It's Oga For Oga, Swedish for an eye for an eye. It means the Swedes killed Elliot."

Diego and Luther hesitated, glancing at Five and then glancing at each other. Smiling and doing his best to act like an innocent bystander, Diego spoke, "Wrong number, have a lovely day."

"We would have gotten there," Luther closed the phonebook in his hands.

Diego shrugged, "Eventually."

"There are literal time traveling assassins out to kill us," I pushed myself up to sit on the counter, "And your idea is to look up who killed Elliot in the phonebook?"

Luther held up his finger, "We would have gotten there eventually."

"You two really are idiots."

"It isn't our fault we don't know Swedish!"

"It doesn't matter," Diego interjected, "Clove, where's Evelyn?"

Five glanced at me from his place taking off his jacket as a dark cloud passed over my face. It felt like a million years ago that Evelyn left, and yet, just moments ago. I frowned deeply, "What does it matter?"

"Those Swedish assholes killed Elliot," Diego explained, "They could be after Evelyn too. We need to protect her."

I met Diego's eyes and sighed, "She's fine. She left the city, hopefully she's out of the country by now."

"What?" Luther asked, "Why?"

Five jumped in between us and frowned, "Doesn't matter, look, Clove and I found a way to get home but we have to go now."

I shot him a grateful smile. It was obvious he chose that moment to interject because he saw how uncomfortable I was getting. Evelyn leaving was still a new wound, it hadn't quite healed and I didn't quite have enough time to get over it.

"What? How?" Luther gaped.

Diego frowned, "Does it have anything to do with all that blood on both of you?"

I slid off the counter and used a dish towel to wipe the blood off my skin. Five began to try and wipe the blood off of his shirt, but it wasn't doing much of anything except spreading the stain.

"What did you two do?" Luther demanded.

"Irrelevant," Five returned his tie to his neck, "We made a deal and got a briefcase that will take all of us back home."

""What about doomsday?"

"With us out of the timeline, it will be avoided."

"And the 2019 apocalypse?" Diego asked.

"Cancelled," Five shrugged on his sweater vest, "We don't have time for anymore questions, we have to go and we have to go now."

Five flung on his blazer and hurried into the living room. I watched him dig out four watches and begin to synchronize each. Luther stepped around the corner, "What do you mean we don't have time?"

"The deal didn't quite work out the way we planned," I sighed, "We've got a little less than ninety minutes to get everyone together and back to 2019."

Diego frowned, "How are we supposed to do that? Everyone is scattered across the city."

"Luckily, there's four of us and only three people to find."

"Here, take these," Five handed each of us a watch, "I synchronized them, they'll keep us on track. Luther, you get Allison. Diego, Klaus. Clove and I will go find Vanya. We meet back here in seventy-seven minutes."

Luther and I both took our watches and instantly slapped them on our wrists. It was Diego who was a bit more hesitant. He turned the watch over in his hands and frowned, "Whoa whoa whoa, you show up drenched in blood and expect us to believe everything will go back to normal?"

"Diego, we don't have time for this," I whisper-shouted.

"We have plenty of time."

"Elliot just got killed because of us, Diego!" Five shouted, "With us out of the timeline, everything will go back to the way it was before we got here!"

"What about Dad?" Diego stepped forward, "What about JFK?"

Five lunged forward, but I quickly stepped between him and Diego and rested my hands on his chest. As Five took a deep breath, I turned to Diego, "Diego, we are not meant to be here. This is our only chance at getting home and stopping doomsday, we don't have a choice. We have to take it."

"We need to save the president," Diego insisted.

"Diego, listen to me," I grabbed his shoulders and made him look me dead in the eye, "If you want to be a hero, this is the way to do it. Getting out of the timeline right now will save billions of lives versus just one."

Diego hesitated. He looked all over my face, searching every inch for an alternative. I could see it in his eyes that he truly only wanted to help people, but he was confused on how to go about it. Saving JFK wasn't going to save the world, in fact, that could be the very thing that dooms it.

"Fine," Diego sighed, "I have to say goodbye to Lila first."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, "Not her again."

"Lila never gave a shit about you Diego!" Five exclaimed, "She's a member of the Commission, the very same organization that sent two sets of assassins after us!"

Diego shook his head, "No way."

"It's true," I frowned, "I'm sorry, Diego, but the Handler placed Lila in that sanatorium to get close to you so you could bring her back to us. It was Five and me she wanted all along."

"You're the Oswald of this story, my friend, the damned patsy!" Five exclaimed as he sauntered towards the stairs.

Diego gripped his watch in his hands tightly. As he opened his mouth to shout, I held up my hands and stopped him, "Diego, I'm sorry. I know it hurts, you didn't deserve that, but we have to go. We are running out of time."

"Fine," Diego spat, "But, I'm burying Elliot. Someone else can go after Klaus."

Five spun on his brother, his face slowly going red, "Diego, we don't have time for your incessant blubbering."

"It isn't all about you, Five! Elliot was one of us, he deserves a proper burial!"

"Everybody stop!" I flung up my hands and glared at both of them, "I will go get Klaus, Diego can go bury Elliot."

Diego smirked at Five, who ran a hand down his face, "Fine, just don't be late."

He spun around and warped out, leaving the rest of us all alone. I let my hands fall and sighed. Tensions were running high and I almost couldn't stand it. Everyone was on edge, even those who hadn't just murdered ten innocent people in cold blood. I felt like I was about to explode and I was the one who had to play peacekeeper.

Luther and I both began to run down the stairs as Diego moved to Elliot. We were silent at first, the only sounds coming from our thundering footsteps. When we made it outside, however, Luther grabbed my arm, "Uh, Clove?"

"What, Luther?" I groaned, "We are really running out of time!"

"I know, I know, it's just-" Luther hesitated, "Can we switch?"

"What?"

"Can we switch?" Luther repeated, "I'll go get Klaus, you go get Alison."

I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned, "Aren't you and Alison super close? Like, a little too close for comfort?"

"It's awkward, going over there and all," Luther groaned, "She's married, Clove!"

"Alright, fine, you big baby. I'll go get Alison, you go get Klaus."

"Thank you."

"Just don't say I never did anything for you."


	21. In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong

The moment the bus arrived at the end of Alison's street, I dove out and rushed to her house. Our time was running thin and getting thinner with every passing second. I could have sworn I heard a clock ticking in my head, echoing through my cranium like tiny hammers slamming into my skull.

I rapidly knocked on the door, all of my knocks blurring together until they sounded like just one knock. When I stepped back to wait, I stuffed my hands in my pockets and tapped my foot impatiently. It felt as if the looming deadline were a warden just waiting to punish me the moment they got the chance. My blood was speeding up as my nerves seemed to contract in, becoming just as tense as the situation.

After a few seconds of no answer, I knocked again. Once again, Alison didn't answer. I cursed under my breath and tried the door knob. To my surprise, it was unlocked and opened easily.

"I forgot everyone leaves their houses unlocked in this decade," I muttered, "No wonder they had so many serial killers."

Without even waiting for an invitation, I rushed inside and shut the door behind me. The house was eerily quiet but that didn't mean much of anything. Alison could easily still be there.

"Alison!" I shouted.

There was no answer. I shouted a couple of more times as I made my way through the house. When I arrived in the kitchen, I leaned on the counter and grimaced, "Shit."

We were running out of time and I had no idea where else to find her. Dallas was a very large city and I had no idea where to even begin looking for her. With our short time limit, it seemed impossible.

The doorknob clicked and I heard a slight humming. I spun around just in time for Alison to round the corner. She slowed down slightly when she saw me, "Clove?"

I stepped forward as she dropped her keys in a cup on the table. She was carrying a large bag filled with groceries, a stick of celery stuck out of the top while I could see a box of cereal through a rip in the paper. She blinked rapidly as if she were surprised to see me here but knew she should have expected someone.

"You're covered in blood," Alison whispered.

"I thought I got it all off," I tugged at the collar of my sweater, "Nevermind that, look, Five and I found a way home."

Alison dropped her bag on the table, "How?"

"It is a very long story that we unfortunately don't have time for. We leave in forty-two minutes."

"Forty-two minutes?!" Alison demanded, "And you're just telling me this now?!"

I flung my hands in the air, "To be fair, Alison, we just found out about it forty-eight minutes ago!"

"Wait, slow down," Alison raised her hands in the air to stop me, "This is all going so fast. What about doomsday?"

"If we get out of the timeline, it will be avoided."

"How do you know?"

"The terms and conditions."

"What?"

"Nevermind," I shook my head, "Doomsday is caused by our being here, somehow. If we get out of the timeline, doomsday will be stopped, process of elimination."

Alison frowned, "What about the 2019 apocalypse?"

"Also cancelled."

Alison rubbed her temples, "This is all going so fast."

"Look, Alison, I know it's a lot to process," I rounded the table in order to look her in the eye closer, "And I'm sorry but we don't have time to process, we have to go now."

Alison took a step back and rubbed her temples harder. Slowly, she spun around, as if thinking about every possible endgame. When she turned back to face me, she met my eyes, "Are you telling me that I could see Claire again? Tonight?"

"If all goes according to plan, yes," I exhaled, "I'll be honest, Alison, I don't know if we're going back to the same world we left. Just us being here has altered the timeline, but I can't say how much or what is changed."

Alison paused. Her eyes went past me and seemed to be memorizing every detail of something nobody else could see. I glanced behind me to see what was there, but there was nothing but a blank wall. When I turned back to Alison, she was staring straight at me.

"What if you're wrong?" Alison asked, "I can't keep losing people, Clove."

She turned her back to me and moved to the sink. Jumping around the table, I followed her, "Alison, if we stay the world will end!"

"Maybe it won't," Alison fought back, "Maybe we've done enough to stop it already."

"It's inevitable unless we get out of this timeline."

Alison braced herself on the kitchen sink. She squeezed her eyes shut and I didn't have to look at her to know she was crying. Slowly, I stepped up behind her and gently rested a hand on her shoulder, "I know it's scary, Alison, terrifying even. But it's our only chance."

"I can't keep losing everyone," Alison's voice cracked slightly as she spoke, "I've lost too many people too many times, I can't-I can't take it anymore."

I gently squeezed her shoulder, "I know, I know. Sometimes it seems like everyone we care about either dies or they leave, and it's hard. I'm fifty-nine years old and I'm still not used to it, but we don't have a choice. We have to take a risk."

"I can't," Alison muttered, "I can't go, I can't risk losing everyone again."

"That's our lives, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Taking risks to save the world," I sighed, "I know it's scary, our entire existence is one endless cycle of fear and pain. The pain of loving and losing time after time after time again. But, it isn't all for nothing."

Alison wiped her eyes as I continued, "Someone special once told me that we might have been born unfortunate, we might be cursed to lose everyone and everything, but we aren't unlucky. We found each other, time and time again, we have found each other, and we'll keep finding each other. What we do, we do for the world and for each other, and that involves taking risks we'd rather not have to take. But, through it all, no matter what we have to face or how many people we lose, we will always have each other. You won't lose us, Alison. Luther, Diego, Klaus, Five, Vanya, and I are all here to stay. Whatever we have to do, we'll do together."

Alison was crying even harder at that point. She pushed herself off the sink and turned to me. Offering a tiny smile, she opened her arms and I grinned. She pulled me into a hug and I squeezed her tightly as she buried her face in my shoulder. She had to bend over slightly to actually reach my shoulder, something which, had she been anyone else, I might've threatened to kill them if they made a comment. She only said one thing, "Thank you."

"Of course," I rubbed her back, "We're in this together, Alison."

"Baby?"

Alison and I pulled apart to see a man standing at the entryway. He took a few steps forward, his eyes darting between Alison and me. He looked at Alison with concern, but me with confusion.

The moment I saw him, I knew he was going to do great things. He exuded an aura of deep intelligence both in academic subjects and in the world around him. Somehow, I knew he would be able to tell me more about myself than I even knew. His eyes were wide and every inch of them was filled with a thick, warm kindness; the sort that welcomed you with open arms no matter how suspicious of you he might be. He was exactly the sort to bring peace through words alone, and the sort who could easily talk down even the most ruthless of dictators.

"Raymond," Alison whispered.

Raymond stepped forward and gently took her hands, "Baby, what's wrong?"

"It-It's a long story."

Raymond glanced at me, "What did you say to her?"

"It isn't her fault," Alison sniffled.

"Who is she?"

"Wha-oh, sorry, I forgot you two haven't met," Alison wiped her eyes and gestured between the two of us, "Clove, this is my husband, Raymond Chestnut. Ray, this is my sister, Clove."

When she called me her sister, I almost started crying right then and there. I was sure my face was brighter than the sun as I beamed up at her. Every part of my body suddenly turned to air as I had to suppress a giggle. In the effort to keep my cool, I stretched out my hand, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you."

"I'm afraid I can't say the same," he slowly shook my hand, "How many siblings do you have?"

"You would be surprised."

Alison wiped her cheeks, "Clove, could I have a few minutes alone with my husband?"

"Alison, we don't have much time left," I whispered.

"I know, I know, I promise I'll be quick," she sniffled harder, "I just- I need to do this. I need to say goodbye."

Raymond blinked rapidly, "Goodbye?"

I glanced at my watch and frowned before looking up at Alison. Just by looking at her, I knew I couldn't say no. She had lost so much already, I couldn't take this away from her too. Sighing, I nodded, "Alright, just be at the alley behind Elliot's in thirty-nine minutes. And take this, to keep track of time."

I took off my watch and handed it to Alison. She strapped it around her wrist and nodded. Turning to Raymond, I smiled, "It was wonderful to meet you."

"You too?" Raymond phrased it more like a question.

I shot Alison a single smile before hurrying to the front door. They had already begun talking before the door even shut behind me.

***

The bus dropped me off a block from Elliot's. The moment the door opened, I hit the ground running and I didn't stop. My feet thudded beneath me, drowning out my heavy breathing.

Alison had my watch and I had no idea how much time I had left, but I knew it couldn't be much. The last thing I wanted was to hold everyone back from leaving 1963 and ultimately saving the world. Perhaps I did have more time than I thought and my anxiety was making things up, but that didn't stop me from sprinting all the way to the alley we had all arrived in.

When I sprinted around the corner, I fell over and caught myself on my arms. I scrambled to get up and was running once again before I was even upright. I ran into the alley as a familiar voice shouted, "Clove?!"

I ran straight into Five. He caught me, wrapping his arms around me and looking confused. When he released me, I braced my hands on my knees and heaved, "I-I thought I going to be-going to be- l-late."

"You're right on time," Five rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, "And you're the only one."

I stretched backwards doing my best to catch my breath, "How much time do we have?"

"Five minutes."

As if on cue, two more bodies ran around the exact same corner I did. Luther and Klaus were running up to us and, even through my hazy exhausted vision, I could see something was wrong with Klaus. He was soaked in sweat as if he had just run an entire marathon and he was feeling it. Every muscle trembled and I was legitimately afraid his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. He seemed to be trying to push some unseen force, like a demon trying to make a home in his body but he was fighting tooth and nail to keep it out.

"What's wrong with Klaus?" I shouted as they were hurrying to get to us.

"It's not Klaus!" Luther seemed like he had suddenly been pumped with helium and threatened to float off at any moment, "It's Ben!"

"Ben?"

"Ben?!" Five exclaimed, "That's impossible, Klaus said he didn't make it to 1963!"

Luther finally made it to us and he didn't even break a sweat, "He lied."

"Son of a bitch," Five whispered.

Five's eyes were sparkling but I knew he did his best to hide it. Had Klaus not been struggling with the spirit possessing him, Five might have given both of his brothers a hug. I watched him suck in a sharp breath and put on the same monotone look he most often had.

We watched Klaus fight with himself, or with Ben, for a moment longer. It seemed like Klaus was getting even damper with every passing second. Finally, he arched his back forward and released a spew of vomit much larger than any human could contain within them. The mere sight of the vomit made me feel like puking, and I quickly looked away and squeezed my eyes shut. I could hear when Klaus fell to the ground.

"Where are the others?" Luther demanded.

"You three are the first," Five ran his hands through his hair, "We're running out of time."

I placed a hand on his shoulder, "They'll get here, Five, they wouldn't pass this up."

Five glanced at the briefcase. We were all keenly aware that our time was ticking even shorter. Despite my words of comfort, Five began to pace, immediately assuming the worst.

"It was a simple task!" Five shouted, "All they had to do was be here, and they even screwed that up!"

"Five, we haven't run out of time yet," I interjected.

"We might as well have!"

"I can't believe this!" Luther kicked the dumpster, making me wince.

"A simple task!" Five continued shouting, "Did we have to fight a sea monster? No! An army of mutants? Nein! All they had to do was be here and they couldn't even do that!"

Luther tightly squeezed his fists, "I can't believe this."

"Everybody take a deep breath," I jumped in front of Five to stop his pacing, "We still have time."

As if to prove me wrong, the briefcase began to blink. I spun around as Five leaned around me to watch the beeping and blinking briefcase. He flung his arms in the air and shouted as I whispered, "Son of a bitch."

Five grabbed the briefcase and launched it into the air. A blue portal appeared and the briefcase vanished within it. For a single moment, we all stared at the spot our last chance had just vanished into. Everything we had gone through, all Five and I had done, was all for nothing at all. It was gone, all of it, and we were out of luck.

"Shit!" Five exclaimed, "There goes our last chance at saving the world!"

I frowned, "Something's wrong."

"Obviously something's wrong, Clove, we just doomed the world and everyone in it!"

"No, Five, listen to me, something has to be wrong," I grabbed his arm to keep him from pacing, "Alison, Diego, and Vanya wouldn't just abandon us- they wouldn't just abandon the world."

"I dunno, Diego was really angry at Five," Luther shrugged.

"Luther, for once in your life, shut up."

Luther shut his mouth tightly at my glare. Five ran his hands through the air, "I should have known, I should have seen this coming. They never listen!"

"They wouldn't just abandon us," I muttered, "There has to be something wrong. Alison was saying goodbye to her husband and coming straight here."

Luther sighed, "Maybe she chose to stay with him."

"She wouldn't! Vanya wouldn't!"

"Vanya was particularly argumentative today," Five ran a hand through his hair, "She was determined to bring a woman and her son to the future as if us coming back wasn't enough to prove how tricky time travel is!"

He jerked out of my grip and began to pace again. Painfully lifting himself from the ground, Klaus pressed his hands into his temples and moaned, "Can we all please be quieter? My head is killing me."

"Klaus, not now," I whispered but it was already too late.

"Listen to me, you useless pukebag, we just blew our chance at saving the world!" Five exclaimed, "All because our siblings were too selfish to save the world rather than their love lives this one time!"

Five slammed his fists onto the walls and shouted. His face was as red as a cherry and I didn't know what to do to ease the tension. Every time I tried to get close, he jerked himself further away and shouted.

"Now what?" Luther, despite the thick tension filling the alley, interjected.

"Now nothing!" Five exclaimed, "It's every sibling for themselves! Clearly it has to be since none of you will listen!"

"Five, you don't mean that!" I shouted as Five began to storm to Elliot's place.

Five didn't answer, instead slamming the door behind him. It was easy to tell when he was more frustrated than angry, because he didn't bother to blink inside the building. He wanted to emphasize his point and the drama came with the slamming of the door. Running a hand down my face, I glanced at Luther and Klaus, "He didn't mean that."

"What do we do, Clove?" Luther asked, "We can't just abandon the world, we can't abandon the others."

"I know, Luther, I know."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," I tugged at my hair, nearly pulling it out, "We need a new plan and we need it fast, we've only got a day left. I'm going to go talk to him, you take care of Pukey McGee here."

I gestured to the moaning Klaus as I hurried to the same door Five just vanished behind. As I opened the door, Luther shouted, "Don't tell me what to do."

"Luther, I just stopped wanting to kill you," I spun around and pointed at him, "Don't make me change my mind."

The door slammed before he could say a single word.


	22. Maybe This Was A Bad Idea

I wasn't even halfway up the stairs before Luther was hurrying after me. His thudding footsteps announced his presence long before he ever spoke. I swear, he couldn't be quiet if his life depended on it. Every step he took sounded like thunder, every breath like a tornado. Even from several steps behind me, his footsteps echoed in my head and made me wince.

"You're supposed to be taking care of Klaus, Luther," I hurried into Elliot's living room and looked around.

Luther's thudding footsteps were almost too loud. I was searching for one sound in particular and it wouldn't come from Luther. When he finally stopped next to me, I was able to focus, "Klaus is fine, Clove, he's Klaus."

"He's Klaus but that doesn't mean he's fine," I shot Luther a pointed glare, "Honestly, Luther, you're a pretty shitty Number One."

"You take that back."

I shrugged and gave him a cheeky grin, "Unlikely."

"You know, you and Five really are a lot alike," Luther commented, "You're both grumpy old bastards."

I pointed at him in a sort of mock-threat, "One hundred ways to kill a man, Luther."

"You can't even reach me."

"I'm one of the two deadliest assassins in the space-time continuum, I'll find a way."

Luther rolled his eyes. In tune with Luther's eye roll, both falling into the exact same rhythm, came the thumping of footsteps. I let my hand drop as a smile crossed my face. I knew that pattern anywhere; Five was pacing.

The pacing came from the backroom. Without giving Luther time to think of a comeback, I spun on my heel and rushed to the locked door. Luther hurried after me as I furiously knocked, "Five! May I come in?"

The footsteps paused. I listened as the lock clicked and Five swung open the door. He didn't even look at either of us as he did, instead choosing to gaze out the open window on the opposite wall. I gratefully stepped in. Luther was close behind, but Five slammed the door in his face.

"Five!" Luther shouted, "Come on!"

Five began to pace once again, "Imbecile."

"He means well," I fell to sit on Elliot's spare bed, "They all do."

"A lot of good that's done us."

The room Five was pacing was Elliot's old store room. It had once been a bedroom, evident by the single twin bed and two nightstands pressed up against one wall. The rest of the room was filled with boxes and racks of clothes. Most of the boxes had papers or wires coming out, a few had old film negatives popping out of ripped edges. The entire room had a fine layer of dust, so much so that a tiny cloud poofed up around me whenever I fell onto the bed.

"You're not giving up, are you?" I tilted my head and watched him pace.

Five tugged at his chin with his thumb and pointer finger, "Of course not, when have I ever given up?"

"And that is why we're best friends," I pushed myself off of the bed, "What're you thinking?"

"We have one day left," Five muttered, "We have to get out of this timeline and we have to do it now, the best chance we have is to get a briefcase."

I scratched under my hat, "We could try and steal one from the Swedes? Or the Twins?"

"They're trained to guard those briefcases with their lives, it would take us the entire day just to get them," Five rung his hands together, "We need people who are already on our side."

"How are we supposed to do that? The entire world is against us, Five."

Five spun around and met my eyes, giving me the half-grin that always preceded a terrible idea. That half-grin with his lips pursed together and a resigned look in his eyes always led us into some kind of trouble. Last time he had that look, we time traveled from 1963 to 2019.

"You've got to be joking," it dawned at me what his idea was, "Five, that's a horrible idea!"

"I know, but it's the only one we got!" he ran his hands down his face and groaned.

"Meeting our past selves? This can only end in disaster!"

"Not if we do it right," Five fiddled with his thumbs, "They're already one our side- they're us."

"They won't give up that briefcase."

"They will once they hear what we have to say," Five straightened his blazer and looked at me, "Think about it, Clove. What did we want more than anything when we were their age?"

I frowned, "To stop the apocalypse."

"And, if they give us the briefcase, what will we do?"

"Alright, I see your point," I crossed my arms, "But, if I know us, and trust me I do, we'll be suspicious and we won't give it up so easily. Not to mention paradox psychosis!"

Five rubbed the back of his neck, "We're going to need a spotter."

"How are we supposed to do that? The only one here is Luther, God only knows where everyone else is."

"Luther will have to do," Five sighed, "I don't like it either, but this is our last chance, Clove."

I met his eyes and sighed. It was a terrible idea, I knew it and so did he. If paradox psychosis didn't get us, we would. We were about to face the two deadliest assassins in all of space and time as their older-younger selves. They wouldn't take kindly to seeing us, most likely they would think it was a trick of the Commission to throw us off the scent of the apocalypse.

"What if they won't listen?" I asked.

"They have to," Five sighed, "We have a bargaining tool."

"And that is?"

"The right math. I can give my past self the correct math to get both of us through the portal without being turned back into prepubescent children."

I tugged at my lip thoughtfully, "That'll do it."

"It's a horrible idea," Five frowned, "But it's the only one we got."

"This will probably come back to bite us in the ass, but what the Hell, let's do it."

Five grinned broadly. Shaking himself off, Five began to head to the door, "We'll need to be prepared."

"I saw baby powder in Elliot's bathroom," I was hot on his heels, "It'll help with the itching."

"You get the baby powder, I'll get water."

I nodded. Five flung open the door and hurried off to the kitchen. I veered to the left and vanished into Elliot's bathroom just as Luther was startled off the couch. It seemed like he had only just settled down for a nap. How someone could nap when the world was possibly ending was bewildering to me. Then again, it was Luther.

I grabbed the baby powder out of the medicine cabinet and hurried into the kitchen. Five was already chugging a large container of water. With his free hand, he passed me a similar container which I quickly began chugging. Luther wiped his eyes as he approached through the wide open door, "Five? Clove? What the- are you alright?"

He watched both of us chugging water like our life depended on it and I swear he had the thought of taking us to the hospital. Five finished his water first and wiped his mouth, "We're going to need to be hydrated."

"Hydrated? For what?"

"Frequent urination," I commented when I finally finished my water, "And uncontrolled perspiration."

Five grabbed the baby powder and began pouring it down his sleeves. He handed it to me when he was done, and I poured some in the back of his shirt. Once I had baby powder down both my sleeves, he did the same for me. All the while, Luther was staring at us, "What's with the baby powder?"

"We couldn't find cocaine, this was the next best option," I spoke without thinking.

"Very funny, Clove."

"Thank you, I try."

"Seriously, you both just poured at least an entire baby down your shirt."

"Do you even know what's in baby powder?" Five frowned, "It'll help with the itching."

"Itching? What itching?" Luther's face was all scrunched up before it suddenly dawned on him, "You do have a plan!"

Five shook himself to even out all the powder, "I would rather not have to resort to this, but considering our family is made up entirely of idiots, we have no choice."

"Go easy on them, Five," I smiled, "They're young."

"That doesn't excuse it."

Luther took a few steps forward, "What is your plan?"

"We have to find ourselves," Five met Luther's eyes, dead serious.

For a moment, Luther just stared at him. He blinked rapidly as he did his best to wrap his mind around everything that was happening. Wrinkling his nose, he asked, "Is that some sort of religious thing?"

"No, it's a time travel thing," I responded, "Remember when Five and I appeared just before your father's funeral?"

Luther tilted his head as Five began to stretch, "Yeah, you appeared out of nowhere looking like thirteen year olds."

"Coincidentally, we had just come from 1963, Dallas," Five spoke as he reached for his toes, "We were sent on a job by the Commission to assure the assassination of President Kennedy."

I stretched my legs behind me, "Something which we never went through with because we jumped to 2019 using Five's time travel instead."

"If my timing is correct," Five pulled a watch out of his pocket, "We arrived just fifteen minutes ago."

Luther blinked, "Wait- so your past selves are out there? Just wandering around Dallas."

"I wouldn't say wandering necessarily, we were killing time until we had to kill Kennedy," I added.

"Killing time," Five popped up and smiled, "With a briefcase that can get us home."

Luther looked at Five with a totally blank expression for barely half a second. A light exploded across his face as realization hit him like a freight train. He clasped his hands over his mouth and all but laughed, "Five, you're a genius!"

"Don't tell him that, or you'll expand his already big head," I teased, earning a gentle push in the shoulder from Five.

"There are, however, two problems with this plan," Five ran a hand through his hair, "We are about to face the two most dangerous assassins in the space time continuum."

Luther frowned, "Aren't you the two most dangerous assassins in space-time?"

"That's the problem," I explained, "Our past selves won't react kindly to seeing our future selves randomly appearing and asking for a briefcase."

"What if we just told them about the apocalypse?"

"We are trained to guard those briefcases with our lives," Five sighed, "It'll be difficult getting them away from us, even with threats of the end of the world."

Luther still looked a tad bit confused. I couldn't blame the guy, if you didn't deal with time travel every single day of your life like Five and I did, it was a lot to comprehend. Even with the amount I dealt with it, I still didn't fully understand it. Five seemed to be the only one who really understood the complex intricacies of time travel, and even that was flimsy at best.

"What's problem number two?" Luther asked.

"Problem number two is the worst one of all," I added, "Paradox psychosis."

"Paradox psychosis?"

"The biggest rule in time travel is; you are not supposed to exist within close proximity to yourself," Five explained, "The side effects could be disastrous."

I raised my hands towards Five while gazing at Luther, "Hence, Paradox Psychosis."

"What side effects?"

Five rubbed the back of his neck and walked toward the door. Both Luther and I watched as he spun around to face us, "According to the Commission Handbook, Chapter Twenty-Seven, Sub-section 3B, the seven stages in Paradox Psychosis are; stage one, denial."

"Stage two," I smiled, "Itching."

Five continued, "Stage three, extreme thirst and urination."

"Stage four, excessive gas."

"Disgusting," Luther muttered but we both ignored him.

"Stage five," Five continued, "Acute paranoia."

I stood and moved to stand next to him, "Stage six, uncontrolled perspiration."

"And, stage seven. Homicidal rage."

Luther stared at us with unblinking eyes, "Homicidal rage?"

"Pretty bad, huh?" I commented.

Luther pushed himself off the wall and frowned, "I don't know, this doesn't seem like such a great idea."

All of us knew it wasn't a good idea. Even Five, who proposed it, knew it wasn't a good idea. As much as we knew it was a terrible idea, we knew there was no other choice left. The only option we could possibly try after this was using Five's time travel again, and that ran the risk of separating us or killing him. This was our best chance of getting home, together, without triggering another apocalypse.

"It's a hail Mary!" Five exclaimed, "But what choice do we have?"

"I don't know, you already seem a bit squirrely if I'm being honest," Luther commented.

"He's fine, Luther," I cut in, "We both are. Look, we know this idea does not seem like the best, but it's the last chance we have. Our only other choice is using Five's time traveling abilities, and then we run a very high risk of getting separated again or killed. This is the only safe way to do it."

Luther gazed at me, "Homicidal rage? It sounds pretty unsafe to me, Clove."

"That's why, we'll need a spotter," Five came around to stand just inches from Luther.

"A spotter?"

"Yeah."

"What is that, like a wing man?"

"It's someone who keeps us on task," I came up behind Five.

"If the paradox psychosis gets too severe, both of us will be off the rails," Five straightened his blazer, "We need someone who, no matter what, makes sure we get that briefcase."

Luther lifted an eyebrow, "You want me to do it?"

"Do you see anyone else?"

"Plus," I held up a finger as Five began to pace again, "If we start trying to kill each other, you can easily hold us apart. What with the super strength and all."

Luther blinked. Five paced for a moment longer before rounding back to Luther. Grabbing his brother's arms, he looked him dead in the eye, "Alright, Luther?"

"O-okay," Luther hesitated.

"Are you in?" I asked, "We need to know if you're in, big guy, this is a big deal."

"I'm in."

"You're sure?"

"I was until you kept asking me."

I raised my hands in surrender, "Fair enough."

Five gave a curt nod and began to hurry off towards the stairs. Without hesitation, I followed, keeping close at his side as we hurried down the stairs. After a few steps, Five realized Luther wasn't following us. He turned around and called, "Luther, come on!"

"Right!" Luther's thudding footsteps once again echoed as he hurried to follow us.


	23. Who's Turn Is It With The Brain Cell?

The Irish Pub was exactly how I remembered it. On the corner of two streets that always seemed to be deserted, it was as out of the way as a pub could be. Not many people went through those doors, nearly all that did were regulars. Local Irish immigrant descendants all filed in and out of the pub, celebrating the arrival of America's first Irish president.

Luther, Five, and I all stopped on the curb just across the street from the pub. Everything seemed exactly as it should be, but a little to the left. I wasn't entirely sure how to describe it. Standing there, on that curb, I couldn't help but wonder if the air was colder last time I was there. As a woman and her child passed in front of us, I could have sworn she was wearing a pink coat last time we were here rather than a green one.

I quickly shook it off and glanced at my friend. We weren't even in the pub yet and Five was already losing it. His eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates, or something close. His movements were more jagged and it seemed like he just ran a marathon. I couldn't tell if he was tired or suddenly forgot how to breath.

"Five?" I muttered, "Are you alright?"

Luther, being as tall as he was, easily looked straight over my head at his brother, "What did I tell you? Squirrely."

"Luther, you're not helping."

"I'm fine," Five spat and rubbed the back of his neck, "Let's just get that briefcase."

He began to hurry across the street and both Luther and I pretended we didn't see the sweat dotting the back of his neck. Luther quickly hurried after him, but I stayed back for half a second longer. Crossing my arms across my chest, I muttered, "I don't like it."

I entered the Irish pub right behind Five and Luther. They were standing almost in the middle of the doorway, taking up all the leftover space. I had to squeeze past Luther in order to stand next to Five. Both of them had their eyes trained on an old man sitting at the bar.

It wasn't hard to recognize Five before our time travel mishap. I saw him old much more than I ever saw him young, and I easily recognized him in an instant. From the finely pressed suit issued by the Commission all the way up to his balding head. He was the exact opposite of a Grandpa, years of trauma had hardened him and life in the apocalypse made him anything but friendly.

Somehow, this Five was different from my Five. As crass, rough, and arrogant as he could be, there was always the side of Five that held warmth and compassion. That was the side that hugged me when I was crying, the side that did everything he could to get back to his family. That was Five, crass on the outside but a softie when you got deep enough. I could see that part of him, even when he was being his grumpy old self, I could always see that compassionate part of him. In the old Five I was looking at, that part was gone. This Five was a lot darker than my Five, as if the light side of him had been beaten out a very long time ago.

"There I am," Five muttered.

I frowned, "Wait just a second, where the hell am I?"

"Bathroom?" Luther shrugged.

"Unlikely," I tilted my head, "I distinctly remember using the bathroom in 1934, not 1963."

"You can use the bathroom more than once, Clove."

"We were here for half an hour, Luther," I wrinkled my nose, "Do you have to pee every thirty minutes?"

"Touche."

Luther glanced between Five and me. Straightening his blazer, Five stretched his neck, "It has been a bit since we've been here, Clove, maybe you did go to the bathroom and we both forgot."

"Maybe," I let my words fade away.

It seemed unlikely, but not impossible. It had been quite a while since either of us had been sitting at that bar, even longer since I had been there. Ten and a half, nearly eleven, months could make the memory go hazy. Especially when nearly all of that time had been spent trying to stop the apocalypse.

"The briefcase is unguarded," Luther commented, "Why don't we just grab it and run?"

"What part of the deadliest assassins in the time space continuum do you not understand?" I asked.

Five shook himself, "I would never let that happen."

"Outside of that, just being here is dangerous," I stuffed my hands in my pockets and frowned, "Let alone jumping him."

Luther gazed at me, "What?"

"It's a paradox."

"A paradox?"

"We're endangering our existence just by being here," Five explained, "If the old us don't travel back to 2019, we cease to exist."

I nodded, "Thus, never being here to prevent ourselves from traveling back and creating a paradox."

"The entire thing begins to unravel itself," Five muttered, "We have to get that briefcase, but we have to make sure old Five and old Clove go through that portal."

Luther let his hands fall to his side, "How do we do that?"

"We could try the obvious choice," I crossed my arms and smirked, "We could talk to them."

Five nodded, "He'll understand. Trust me, I know myself better than- well- better than I know myself."

"And I know him better than that," I commented, "It's going to be a bitch, but he'll listen. Probably."

"Probably?!" Luther whisper-shouted.

Five rolled his eyes. Both of us watched as he did his best to subtly scratch his neck. Without hesitation, Luther pointed at him, "You just iched your neck!"

"I did not," Five calmly responded, "I did not itch my neck."

"Denial," I pointed out, "You've already passed stage one and stage two."

Five glared at me and looked like he wanted to argue but he couldn't think of anything. Luther glanced at old Five before turning to me. Looking me up and down, he wrinkled his nose, "How come you're fine?"

"Clearly, I'm not in the room at the moment," I gestured to Old Five at the bar.

"Yeah, but Five started freaking out half a block away."

"I did not start freaking out," Five seethed, "I am perfectly calm."

Luther ignored him, "How come you aren't freaking out?"

I looked at my hands and blinked. I felt fine, normal even. As if there wasn't an older version of myself anywhere nearby. I shook my head and clenched my hands shut, "I don't know, maybe it's just taking longer to set in."

"Can we stay on task, please?" Five hissed, "We need to get that briefcase, and, to do that, we need to start a conversation with me."

Five stuffed his hands in his back pockets and began to saunter over to his old self. Just as I was about to follow him, Luther stuck out his arm, effectively stopping both of us, "Wait."

"What?" Five's glare could easily melt steel.

"Maybe I should talk to him first," Luther glanced at Old Five, "You know, break the ice."

"What?"

Luther shrugged, "You'll freak him out. Bumping into your tiny doppelganger? He will lose his shit!"

"I hate to say it," I leaned on Five's shoulder and gazed at him, "But I think the Big Guy is right."

Luther held his hands out to me in a triumphant manner. Five glanced between the two of us before groaning, "Fine."

"Wait here," Luther smiled before turning and slowly moving towards the Old Five.

Young Five and I hid ourselves behind the half wall separating us from the rest of the pub. Five leaned against it, his palms braced on the sheetrock and the rest of him shaking ever so slightly. I stood just behind him, halfway watching old Five and halfway watching young Five.

The back of his collar was already becoming soaked with sweat. It was easy to guess the rest of him wasn't too far away. Just moments into being in the same room with his past self and he was already experiencing the symptoms.

"Are you alright?" I whispered as Luther finally started talking to the old Five.

My Five wrinkled his nose, "I'm fine, Clove."

"Five, the back of your collar is absolutely soaked."

"Perhaps I am experiencing a little bit of the psychosis," Five stretched his neck, "I have it handled, I'm fine."

There wasn't a single second where I believed him. This was expected, both of us were supposed to be neck deep in paradox psychosis by now. The most worrying part should not be how damp Five's collar was, rather, that mine wasn't. I felt perfectly fine, and that was alarming in and of itself.

"First, I'd like you to meet someone," Luther's voice traveled to our ears, "Just don't freak out."

Old Five's eyes were wide as Luther stepped to the side. Young Five took that as his cue and stepped out. At that moment, I could have sworn Old Five's heart stopped. He went paler than the first snow of winter as he stared at Young Five. Rolling his shoulders back, Young Five smiled, "Hey, stranger."

"Ho-how," Old Five stuttered.

He fell silent as soon as I stepped around the wall. Casually, with my hands in my pockets, I stepped to stand next to Young Five. I shot a smile at Old Five and I swear he nearly fainted right then and there. His hand flew to his heart as a small gasp escaped his throat. If it was possible, he went even paler than he did when he saw Five. I tilted my head as Old Five gripped Vanya's book he had been writing in tightly, "Clove?"

"Hey, Five," I smiled, "Long time, no see."

I was the only one who laughed at my joke. Old Five slipped off of the stool, completely forgetting about the two briefcases behind him. It was easy to tell he wanted to take a step forward, but something stopped him. Using the bar to keep himself sturdy, he muttered, "Impossible."

"Not quite as impossible as you might think," Luther tried his best to be charismatic, "See, we time traveled back here from 2019 and-"

"Not that, you imbecile," Old Five whispered, "Clove, you're alive?"

Both Young Five and Luther turned to look at me as I wrinkled my nose, "Of course I'm alive, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because, you died forty-two years ago."

It was my turn to nearly faint. Luther's jaw nearly hit the ground and Young Five gripped onto my arm. All I could do was stare at Old Five and shake my head, "I think you've been drinking too much again, Five. I'm not dead, I'm probably just in the bathroom or something."

"Clove, listen to me," Old Five spoke, "You died when we were sixteen-years-old. In the apocalypse. You-you were sick, and you didn't get better. No matter what I did, you couldn't get better."

I frowned, "I'm not dead, Five."

"I buried you, Clove," Old Five was very insistent, "Trust me, I would remember. I buried my best friend before I was even seventeen-years-old, that's not something easily forgotten."

I wasn't sure who was more surprised and confused; Old Five, Young Five, or me. My Five was tightly gripping to my arm as if afraid I was about to die just like Old Five was insisting I was. His paleness came from seeing a ghost, and it turns out that ghost was me. I had a hard time believing it.

"That's impossible," I spoke, "I was here, I distinctly remember, I was here."

Young Five nodded, "Clearly you didn't die, you're standing right here."

"Is delusion a symptom of paradox psychosis?" Luther leaned forward and whispered.

"No, no it isn't," I furrowed my eyebrows, "You mean to tell me that the older version of myself is not currently in this building?"

Old Five shook his head, "You never had the chance to grow old."

I glanced at Young Five, but I was met with a very distorted version of the Five I knew. He was undergoing paradox psychosis and it was hitting him hard. He couldn't even focus on me when I tried to make eye contact with him.

All I wanted in that moment was for Five to be right there with me, but he was far off in space. I felt more alone in that moment than I ever had before, and two versions of my best friend were standing right there with me. For a moment, I started to believe Old Five that I was a ghost. I looked to my Five for reassurance, but he was too far off in his psychosis spin.

"Impossible," I whispered, "That doesn't make any sense."

Old Five frowned, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"How about," Luther held up his hands, "We all get a drink and sit down. It seems like we have a lot to discuss."

Both Fives nodded slowly. All I could do was stand there for a moment as they followed Luther to a table across the pub. My blood practically stopped running completely as I tried to wrap my mind around everything that was happening.

I very clearly remember being here. Five and I appeared in 1963 together to kill President Kennedy. We came here, Five worked on his equations, and I drank beer with a straw. While I set up the gun to shoot the president, Five figured out the equations and we jumped before we could ever pull the trigger. I was here, I know I was here, I made it to fifty-nine years old, I did not die at sixteen.

Yet, no matter how long I waited, the older Clove never stepped foot out of the bathroom. She wasn't there, I knew she wasn't. Simply looking at how deep Five was in paradox psychosis and how it hadn't even touched me proved old Clove was not there. The only question is how.

I was there, I got old, and I never died! My mind was practically exploding trying to figure out how I was alive to one Five but dead to the other. That wasn't how time worked, that wasn't how anything worked. It was as if we hopped into another dimension where everything was different, or another timeline.

"Clove!" Luther shouted, "I could really use your help!"

I shook myself off and tried to ignore the goosebumps covering my skin, "Right, sorry!"


	24. There Are Weirder Ways To Learn You Died

It seemed as if four different plotlines were all running at once but I could only focus on one. As both Fives and Luther talked, all I could do was stare at the condensation on my Five's cup. My body felt quite unlike my own as I began to wonder if it ever was mine in the first place. I began to become distrustful of my own memories, and I wished more than ever my Five was in his right mind to tell me he remembered the same things.

My fingers were tightly wound around my left wrist, desperately searching for a pulse. As if my own body was taunting me, I struggled to find it. I searched for so long I began to wonder if I truly was a ghost. When my fingers brushed against my beating pulse, I released a sigh of relief.

I was alive. I was alive, I was fifty-nine years old, and I was not dead. My pulse proved it, even when my body felt quite unlike my own, I could still feel a heartbeat and distantly register that it was mine.

"Well," Luther awkwardly smiled, "This is nice, isn't it? The four of us?"

The tension surrounding the table was so thick, not even a knife could cut it. I could tell Luther felt like he was drowning despite being nowhere near water, but I couldn't feel it. I was much further away than it looked like I was. My body felt like a puppet and I was struggling to find the strings. Even as Luther glared at me and tensed his mouth up in a plea for help, I couldn't bring myself back.

"No," Both Fives spoke at once.

Old Five never once moved his eyes from Young Five, "Can someone please tell me how I am having a pint of Guinness with my younger self and my previously dead friend?"

"Older, actually," Five smiled, "I'm you, just fourteen days older."

"I have pubic hair smarter than you," Old Five seethed.

Young Five chuckled, "Doubtfully."

"Clove," Luther smiled, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

I blinked rapidly, but all I could do was nod. As we stepped away from the table, Old Five asked, "How is this possible?"

"Allow me to explain," Young Five said before we were out of earshot.

Luther guided me to stand just behind the same half wall by the front door. We stood at such an angle where we could still see both Fives, just in case they started trying to kill each other. Shooting the two Fives a charismatic smile, Luther turned to me and flung up his hands, "Clove, what the Hell?! They're about to kill each other and you're just sitting there!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Luther," I crossed my arms and glared at him, "I just found out that I died, I think I have a right to be a little spacey!"

Luther ran his hands down his face, "Alright, I'll admit, that's weird."

"Weird? Weird?! It's a little more than weird, Luther, how could I just forget I died!"

"Clearly you're not dead, Clove-"

"No shit, Sherlock!"

"-Something else is going on," Luther continued completely unhindered, "Look, we can only deal with one thing at a time and right now we've got one Five more than we need."

"There's a lot more going on than just that, Luther!"

"Clove, listen to me," Luther grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eye, "Old Five thinks you're dead, that's weird, I'll admit."

"This is the worst pep talk ever," I interrupted.

Luther frowned, "It isn't a pep talk- look, if they start trying to kill each other, I won't be able to stop them alone. I need your help, I need your head in the game."

I covered my nose with both of my hands and took a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I nodded slowly, "You're right- you're right, we'll figure this out later. Priority one is making sure the Fives don't kill each other and don't create a paradox we can't undo."

"Exactly," Luther released my shoulders and turned to the talking Fives, "Now we just have to figure out which one is going through paradox psychosis."

I slowly looked up at him with my nose wrinkled tightly. Luther glanced down at me and frowned, "What?"

"If only your brain were as big as your muscles," I sighed, "They're both going through psychosis, dumbass."

Luther blinked, "Shit."

"Whatever we do, we can't let them out of our sights," I ran a hand through my hair before pushing my hat back on my head.

Luther gave a short nod. Taking a deep breath, I did my best to gather whatever was left of me and began to casually walk back to the table. Luther was hot on my heels. We sat directly across from each other, to where there was a Five on either of our sides.

They were both going through it, and they were going through it hard. It was easy to see Paradox Psychosis was kicking both of their asses straight into next week. Both were incredibly damp with sweat and so twitchy they became blurry. I could have sworn they never once blinked as they had a staring competition right then and there.

"Even if I was to believe you," Old Five spoke as we all ignored his fart, "What am I supposed to do? Not jump?"

Young Five laid his palms on the table, "No, no I need you to jump. If you don't jump, I cease to exist."

"So? What? Why are you here then?"

"To offer you a deal," Young Five explained, "I will give you the right math so you don't end up in this prepubescent body."

Old Five's eyes widened before they quickly narrowed in suspicion, "And what do you want in return?"

"That briefcase you're holding under the table."

Old Five went much paler than he had before. I could feel him move it, and hear the leather scrape against the concrete floor. Old Five tightened his clasped hands, never once breaking eye contact with Young Five.

"Right, yeah, so you go back to 2019 as planned," Luther held out his hand, trying his best to be the voice of reason, "But, this time, with the right math so you don't age backwards. In return, we get that briefcase you won't need anymore."

"Timeline restored, paradox resolved, everyone gets to go home happy and healthy," Young Five muttered.

Old Five was clearly distrustful. It was easy to see he was still not fully certain he was having a beer with his brother, his older-younger self, and his apparently dead best friend. It was a lot to take in all at once and, even if this wasn't my Five, I knew Five. I could see the doubt in his eyes. In the way he kept cutting his glance between the three of us, and how he couldn't seem to find a comfortable way for his fingers to lace together. He kept moving the briefcase under the table and clearing his throat.

"Five, listen to me," I interjected myself right into the middle of the conversation, making Old Five look at me, "We need that briefcase to stop the apocalypse."

Old Five frowned, "The apocalypse isn't for another fifty-six years."

"Not that one, there's another one," I explained, "We traveled back in time to escape the first one in hopes of successfully stopping it the first time around. In the process, all of us were scattered across three years and we accidentally triggered another doomsday."

"The world ends in two days unless you travel forward to 2019 and give us that briefcase," Young Five explained.

I nodded. Old Five was still looking at me. He seemed to be searching my face for something but he couldn't find it. I could see the disappointment in his eyes whenever he finally looked away, "How will my briefcase help you stop the apocalypse?"

"It gets us out of this timeline," I explained, "We aren't meant to be here, Five. It's us being here, somehow, that triggers doomsday. The sooner we get out of here, the better. All of us."

"All of you?"

"All of us," I repeated, "The entire academy is here, Five, and we have to get them all out."

Old Five spun to face me once again. He blinked slowly, I could see his mind working into overdrive. Knowing Five, he believed me but he was already coming up with a different plan. If there was one thing Five loved, it was making plans, and what he loved more was following those plans. Most specifically, following his plans. I knew right then and there that Old Five was already trying to figure out a way to fix, what he saw as, Young Five's mistakes before they even happened. I sighed deeply whenever Old Five looked away and Young Five asked, "So, what do you think?"

"I think," Old Five hesitated, "That I need to piss."

I buried my face in my hands as Old Five got up, "Stage Three."

Luther, Young Five, and I all watched as Old Five vanished into the bathroom. I spun my head around and glared at Luther. It took him a minute to realize, but, when he finally did, he flung his hands out and shrugged, "What?"

"Don't let them out of our sight, remember?" I whispered.

"Why do I have to follow him?"

"Take a guess, Luther."

"Right," Luther snapped his fingers and stood, "You can't go into the men's restroom."

"More like I don't want to."

Luther wrinkled his nose at me before slowly heading after Old Five. As soon as he was out of our sight, I turned to my Five. He was absolutely drenched in sweat, still staring at the seat Old Five had vacated. I grabbed a napkin and began to wipe his sweaty forehead as he hissed, "I don't trust him."

"Five, he's you," I sighed.

"Exactly."

I finished wiping his forehead and sighed. Rubbing my temples, I muttered, "I really thought playing the apocalypse card would work."

"He's not going to give us the briefcase," Five hissed, "He's probably planning against us as we speak."

Rubbing my hands down my face and peering at him over my fingers, I said, "That's exactly what you would do."

"That's exactly what I would do!"

"Whatever he's planning, we'll stop it," I smiled, "Lucky for you, Luther isn't the only one without Paradox Psychosis here."

Five curled his fists, "That is more alarming than anything the other Five is plotting."

"Perhaps in the long run," I sighed, "Right now, I'm more worried about the two of you killing each other."

Five twitched, his eyes nearly shutting entirely as he did. I looked at him worriedly. Five took a long sip of his beer, "It isn't right. You're clearly not dead and he clearly isn't me."

"He is you, Five," I sighed, "Maybe not the same version."

"He's untrustworthy."

"He's going through psychosis and so are you."

"I'm fine, Clove," Five spat, "It's him I would be worried about."

I leaned back and crossed my arms, "Right now, there's a lot of things I'm worried about."

Everything from the end of the world to the Fives killing each other to the fact that I apparently died and nobody elected to inform me. No matter what I did, it always seemed to come back to that. I could try and force myself to focus on keeping the two Fives from killing each other all I wanted, but there was always that tiny voice in the back of my mind reminding me that I was dead.

"It doesn't make any sense," I muttered, "How could I have died when I'm right here?"

Five still had his eyes trained on the seat Old Five had left behind, "He might be lying."

"He wasn't."

"How do you know?"

"We grew up together, Five," I rolled my eyes, "If I didn't know your tells for lying, I don't think I'd be a good friend."

Five frowned, "He isn't me."

"I'm beginning to wonder the same thing," I whispered before turning to look at my Five, "You remember me getting better, don't you?"

"Of course. You're not dead, Clove, he's lying. He's trying to pull one over on us."

"I should've expected this," I sighed, "You're neck deep in paradox psychosis, of course I can't get a straight answer from you."

Five glared at me, "I am fine."

"No, you're not."

"I'm-"

"Five."

He clamped his mouth tightly before returning his glare to the empty seat. Pulling my hat over my eyes, I groaned. What I wouldn't give for Five, my Five, to be in his right mind right then. All I wanted was for him to reassure me that I was, in fact, alive and that my memories weren't lying to me. They were beginning to seem foggier than they had been before, I began to wonder if they even were mine.

Luther and Old Five returned moments later. They cautiously approached the table and, instantly, I knew something was wrong. Old Five had suddenly become much more callous than he had been moments before, and that was saying a lot. Luther awkwardly rang his hands together and smiled, "We're good!"

"Oh Jesus," I groaned.

"You've got a deal," Old Five's voice was mellow and low, "We've got to run, Kennedy is en route. Less than an hour until show time."

Young Five jumped up, "What's got you in such a hurry?"

"Relax, buddy. You don't want to make people think you're paranoid."

"Okay," Luther tried to cut the tension, "Let's roll."

He and Old Five hurried out with Young Five close behind. I stood and began to hurry after them, "Buddy? Five's never said buddy in his life."


	25. Scully, You're Not Going to Believe This

"It doesn't make any sense," I muttered, "How the hell did the other Five bury me when I am clearly alive?"

Young Five was constantly pushing his hands through his hair and scowling more than he usually does. His eyes kept flickering about as if he were worried keeping them in one place too long would trigger something unimaginable. I was talking to him, but he barely heard a single word I said. He was so far out into space I began to worry what would happen if I couldn't see him anymore.

"What're you looking at?!" Five held out his hands in a threatening manner to the nearest passerby.

"Five, calm down," I grabbed his arms and pushed them down to his sides, "Nobody's looking at you."

"They're sizing me up, I know."

"I take it back, everyone is looking at you because you're acting like a complete lunatic!"

"I am not a lunatic, Clove!"

"You're acting like one!"

Five ran a hand through his hair and seethed, though I wasn't sure if it was at me or at himself. His movements were so jagged, it was like something had suddenly possessed him and he was desperately fighting to regain control of his limbs. It was incredibly obvious just how bad it was getting.

Luther and Older Five were completely oblivious. I had to hand it to older Five, he did a good job convincing Luther he was totally fine while Young Five went straight off the deep end. They walked several yards ahead of us, leaning close and whispering. I knew they were plotting something before they even said a word.

"You wish you could pull off these shorts!" Five shouted as we began to approach a small pedestrian bridge over train tracks.

"For once, can't we ever deal with one thing at a time?" I groaned, "If it isn't the end of the world, it's Daddy Issues. If it's not one set of assassins, it's the other. If it isn't paradox psychosis, it's forgetting I died! Why can't-"

I paused mid-sentence as a realization suddenly hit me. Even in his psychosis state, Five knew something was going on. He looked at me worriedly as my hands flew to my face.

The last time I had seen the Twins, before Evelyn had to leave, we had a conversation. They told me plenty of things that didn't make much sense at all, but one thing in particular stood out. They told me Five and I had to time travel again for the sole purpose of splintering the timeline.

"Five," I whispered, "What do you think a splintered timeline looks like?"

Five scratched the back of his neck, eyeing up a small family walking nearby, "I don't know- it's never happened before."

"Suppose it did happen, what do you think it would look like?"

"I suppose it would be diversions off the original timeline," Five wiped a waterfall of sweat off his forehead, "Maybe what happens in one timeline doesn't happen in another."

I turned to him and grinned, "Like me dying in one timeline despite being perfectly alive and well in another?"

For a moment, Five just stared at me. It was hard to get the entire reaction he would usually get. Even as he stared at me, it was jerky and distant, like I was looking at him through a broken window. All the while, I was having a full on epiphany.

Timelines had never been splintered before, at least, not in recorded history. Back in our days at the Commission, splintering the timeline was exactly what they would warn us could potentially happen in a worst case scenario. They would always immediately follow it up by saying how difficult it was to splinter the timeline. How there had to be a very specific set of circumstances and those circumstances had never arisen before.

Nobody knew what a splintered timeline was like because there never had been a splintered timeline. Many had tried to describe it but nobody could say exactly what was right or what was false. As Five said, the most common theory was different aspects of the same timeline morphed just ever so slightly. In other words; each splintered timeline was exactly the same but just a little bit to the left.

Everything was exactly the same. From where Old Five was sitting, to how he was dressed, even to the beer he drank. It was all the same except for one key detail; me. The only logical solution, as absolutely bonkers as it sounded, was that somehow the timeline had been splintered and we jumped.

"Holy shit, Five!" I grabbed his shoulders and made him look at me, "We're in a splintered timeline!"

Five wrinkled his nose, "No, we're not in a splintered timeline, Clove, he is just a lying asshole! He's trying to mess with your head!"

Young Five was furiously gesturing to Old Five as if he were the Devil incarnate. As Young Five jerked out of my grip and continued following Luther and Old Five, I gripped tightly to my hair, "Then how do you explain the fact that I'm alive but dead at the same time?!"

"He's lying," Five muttered, "He's trying to pull the wool over our eyes."

"Obviously he isn't lying, Five."

"He is!"

"Then, where am I?" I crossed my arms, "You and I both remember that I was here, so where am I?"

Young Five glared at Old Five and frowned, "Alright, I'll admit, that is a little suspicious."

"Exactly! It's the only logical explanation!"

I was so deep in my epiphany, I didn't even realize when Luther fell back to walk alongside us. He awkwardly stuffed his hands in my pockets and grinned, "Hey, bro."

"He's planning on killing me, isn't he?" Young Five demanded.

"What? No!"

"He is!"

"How did you know that?"

"Because that's exactly what I would do!"

"Both of you, shut up!" I jumped directly between them, "Five, that isn't you."

"You shut up!" Five shouted.

I glared at him. Straightening his blazer, he sniffed, "Sorry, that wasn't me."

"Will you admit you're going through psychosis now?" I demanded.

"Perhaps I am slightly unlike myself."

"Slightly is an understatement."

"See! He's a maniac!" Luther exclaimed, "This is why I think the old guy's plan is the best."

"You, Luther, are a terrible spotter," I spat, "What happened to trying to keep them from killing each other?!"

Luther flung up his hands, "In my defense, he has some pretty good ideas!"

"Like what?" Five demanded, "The two of you jumping to 2019 and stopping the apocalypse?"

Luther scratched his chin, "Technically, he suggested we off you and then the three of us go back."

"Three of us?! Luther, you had to know I would never agree with that!" I shouted.

"It doesn't matter, Clove, we have to do something! He's clearly going nuts!"

Luther gestured to Young Five incredulously. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed as I realized everything I had to deal with. Not only were we potentially in a splintered timeline with the apocalypse looming, but I was the only level-headed one in a group consisting of two clones going through Paradox Psychosis and a half-ape man with a quarter of a brain cell. I looked at the sky and sighed, "I'm only one person."

"Look, I've about had it with you," Five grabbed Luther's arms and forced him to look him dead in the eye, "It is so blatantly obvious you are once again experiencing Daddy Issues, something which seems to surround your entire life!"

Luther blinked in surprise as Five tightened his grip, "This time, however, it's with your own brother. Something which is driving me a little bit crazy, I might add."

"A little bit," I snorted, earning a glare from Five.

"Listen to me, I am fourteen days older than him, so it is me you should be listening to, Luther," Five flung his hands in the air, "I'm the Daddy here!"

I jumped forward and grabbed his arms, pushing them down to his sides, "The only thing you are is crazy."

"I'm not crazy, Clove!"

"He's crazy!" Luther exclaimed, "The best thing we can do is put him out of his misery!"

"Both of you, shut up!" I exclaimed, "I am older than both of you, I have authority here!"

Both Luther and Five looked like they wanted to lunge towards each other, but I placed a hand on each of their chests, keeping them separated. Taking a deep breath, I spoke calmly and bluntly, "Nobody is killing anyone today."

"Clove-" Luther began, but quickly shut up under my glare.

"Nobody is killing anybody today," I repeated, "The Five you have been talking to is not the Five you know."

Five flung up his hands as Luther snorted, "Clearly, he has his head on much straighter."

"I will kill you!" Five began to advance on Luther, but I quickly stopped him.

"Luther, listen to me," I grabbed Luther's arms and forced him to look at me, "We are in a splintered timeline; I'm almost sure of it now. We need to focus on getting Old Five through the portal and getting that briefcase so we can get out of this timeline."

Luther rolled his eyes, "What do you think I've been trying to do?"

"Kill your brother, apparently!"

"I wasn't going to kill him, just a version of him!"

"You're not going to kill any version of him," I took a deep breath, "Look, that Five is not our Five because he's from a different timeline."

Five stood behind me, furiously nodding and pointing to accentuate my point. Luther crossed his arms, "What the hell are you talking about, Clove?"

"I'm not entirely certain, I don't fully understand it myself," I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, "But, if I'm correct, we are in a totally different timeline than we were in 2019. In that case, this is not the same Five, which explains why one thinks I'm dead and the other grew up with me."

Luther glanced between Young Five and Old Five. I could tell his mind was running one thousand miles per hour and coming up empty each and every time. Not even I understood what was happening, I couldn't expect him too. Ultimately, he crossed his arms and frowned, "What do you suggest we do then?"

"Simple, we stick to the plan," I turned to Old Five as he approached the grassy knoll, "We get Old Five through the portal, get that briefcase, and keep the two Fives from killing each other in the process."

"Easier said than done," Luther snorted.

"You're telling me."

"Come on, it's happening," Old Five knelt next to his briefcases on the ground, "Kennedy will drive by at any moment."


	26. The First Time I Kinda Believed

"If we're in a splintered timeline, why don't we just off that Five and take the briefcase?" Luther whisper-shouted.

The two of us stood just out of earshot of Old Five. Young Five stood right next to me, sinking into paradox psychosis. He was getting worse by the second to where I began to worry that, if we didn't do something soon, we wouldn't be able to get him out.

"That won't work," I shook my head.

"Why not?"

"First of all, we are faced with one of the deadliest assassins in the time space continuum-" I began.

Luther interrupted, "And we have the other two on our side!"

"One of whom is head deep in paradox psychosis!" I hissed, "Even beyond that, we can't risk it. We need to get Old Five through the portal."

"You said he wasn't this Five."

"I said I don't think he's this Five," I gestured to Young Five, who was itching his back like his life depended on it, "I think we're in a splintered timeline, Luther, I don't know it. It could be anything else, and we simply cannot risk killing him."

Old Five crouched at the white picket fence surrounding the grassy knoll. He was assembling a gun, and I couldn't help but think back to the days when that was my job. Not too long ago, it felt like mere minutes, that was a talent of mine. I could assemble a gun like nobody's business, and I still remember the feeling of pride in looking at my creation.

"I used to be so good at that," I whispered.

"We have to do something, Clove," Luther spoke through gritted teeth, "They're going to kill each other at any second!"

I rolled my head on my neck like dead weight to look up at him, "I seem to remember you were the one ready to kill just moments ago."

"He is very convincing!"

Luther furiously gestured to Old Five as I rolled my eyes, "Easy to convince a man with half a brain cell."

"Look, if we can't kill either of them, then what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know, Luther, a lot is happening all at once and honestly it's a bit overwhelming!" I paused to pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath, calming myself, "We need to stick to the original mission."

Luther frowned, "If this is a splintered timeline, shouldn't that affect the mission?"

"No," I muttered, "Maybe?"

Luther ran his hands down his face and exhaled raggedly. I bit my nail, all the while my mind ran two thousand miles an hour. I was one of the most highly trained assassins in the space time continuum. I had spent months training for every possible occurrence in our timeline, but this was not on the list. Nobody knew how to deal with a potential splintered timeline because it had never happened before.

I wasn't even sure if that was what this was. It could be any number of things I didn't even know about, I only knew the variables presented in front of me and I made my assumptions from that. They could only be half the variables and the answer rested with the other half. It could be a great number of things, but one thing was for certain. Whether it was a splintered timeline or not, we had to make sure everything stayed exactly the way it was meant to be. If it was a splintered timeline, we couldn't risk splintering it more, or else the fractures would keep breaking off until it was a whole forest of cracks needing to be patched up. If it wasn't a splintered timeline, we didn't want to be the reason it broke the first time.

Everything had to go exactly the same. From Five jumping through the portal all the way to us meeting him in the bar, it had to go exactly the same. In that case, one crucial thing had to remain the same.

"Five," I spun around to face Young Five, "You have to tell him the wrong math."

Five wrinkled his nose, "Why would I do that?"

"The timeline is fragile, we know this. We can't risk splintering it further, or splintering it for the first time."

"What does the math have to do with it?"

"You have to become young again," I spoke just low enough so Old Five couldn't hear us, "You can't do that with the correct math."

Young Five wrinkled his nose, "That's ridiculous."

"You know I'm right."

"You don't even know you're right!" Five hissed, "Nobody knows they're right!"

I grabbed Five's arms and forced him to look me dead in the eye, "Five, we could be the first people in history to witness a splintered timeline. Do you also want to be the first to splinter it further?"

"No."

"Exactly. You have to tell him the wrong math so you can become you again."

"I hate to interrupt," Luther leaned over to put his face directly between Five and me, "But, we're kind of getting off topic here."

I released Five so I could spin around and face Luther. Placing my hands on my hips, I huffed, "I'm trying to preserve the timeline here, Luther!"

"What about preserving Five?!" Luther demanded, "If you're right and that isn't Five, why do we care what he does?"

"Have you even been listening?!"

"Honestly? I only understand half the words coming out of your mouth right now!" Luther whisper-shouted, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were going through paradox psychosis!"

I opened my mouth to shout back, but quickly closed it. Covering my face with my hands, I took a deep breath and did my best to gather whatever wits I had left. Luther was right, I was going off the deep end just like Five. So much was happening at once, and I was still in shock over forgetting that I apparently died. Each piece of me was pulled so far apart, it was difficult to bring them back together again.

"You're right, I'm sorry," I kept my voice level and calm, "I was going a little bit off the rails."

Luther smiled, "I'm glad at least one of you will listen."

"You're one to talk."

"Shut up."

I glanced up at him and laughed. Turning to Old Five, I sucked in a deep breath, "Right, here's the plan. We get Old Five through the portal, we snag his briefcase, we take the entire family and travel back to 2019 effectively avoiding the apocalypse, and we figure out this whole splintered timeline thing later."

Luther nodded. It sounded simple but it was one of the most complicated plans I could come up with. The most complicated part about it were the two Fives, both of which I knew to be the most stubborn person on the planet. Put that on top of paradox psychosis and you've got a whole heap of problems.

"I've got a better plan," Young Five's voice caught both Luther's and my attention.

Both of us spun to see his eyes glued onto the briefcase. It was situated just behind Old Five, but that in no way meant it was unguarded. Old Five knew where that briefcase was at all times. If I knew him, and trust me I did, he was just waiting for Young Five to make a move and give him a chance to kick him into next century.

"Five," I spoke slowly, "Don't you dare."

He didn't even stay to hear the end of my sentence. He blinked over to the briefcase only to find Old Five had blinked away at the exact same second. Old Five held his shotgun to his shoulder and grinned, "Bad idea, shit heel."

"Shit heel?" I whispered.

"Uh, Clove," Luther leaned closer to me, "What was the final stage of paradox psychosis again?"

I ran a hand down my face and sighed, "Homicidal rage."

"Ah, yes."

Luther quickly went from smiling to a dawning realization. We had hit the final stage and the two Fives were about to battle it out. Old Five had his shotgun perfectly trained on Young Five's heart. It looked like he would shoot at any second, if the bullet didn't get them then the ice cold glares they sent each other would. Despite being at the end of a gun barrel where the triggerman was an alternate version of himself, Young Five didn't even flinch. He tugged at his blazer and itched all over his chest as he glared at the older version of himself.

"Stop it!" Luther jerked the shotgun from Old Five's hands, "Both of you! Look at you, you've both gone crazy!"

I crossed my arms and smirked as Luther did his best to handle the situation, "Now, look, Kennedy is going to be coming around that corner at any second. Let's all just take a deep breath."

Luther sucked in a perfect breath. Both Fives did their best, but it came out shaky at best. I could've sworn the deep breath made Young Five sweat and Old Five itch even more than he was before.

"We're all family here," Luther did his best to remain calm and level-headed, "So, for the next few minutes, can we all just try to get along?"

I already knew where this was going before he even finished his sentence. Smirking, I leaned on a nearby car hood and waited for it all to go down. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is lean back and wait.

"You want it?" Young Five asked.

Old Five twitched his nose, "Go ahead."

"What's that?" Luther was as innocent as they come.

Before he even knew what was happening, Young Five placed a firm kick between his legs. Luther crumpled over, shouting in pain, as the Two Fives vanished from sight.

They began a battle composed mostly of warping. It was nearly impossible to focus on them as they would only appear in one place for barely even a second. They would appear next to a car with one holding the other in a chokehold, or next to the fence with one flinging a punch but the other vanishing before they could get a hit in. Each time they appeared, they were in a different position.

Somehow they always seemed to know where the other was. Every time they popped out, they knew exactly what the other was doing and exactly what they should do in retaliation. They dodged effortlessly, even getting a few good hits on each other.

"Will you two stop it!" Luther shouted.

The two Fives appeared in front of him and kicked him between the legs once again. When they vanished, I snorted, earning a glare from Luther. He could barely see me as he was doubled over in pain, but he managed to look over his shoulder, "A little help here, Clove!"

"I don't know, this is pretty entertaining," I chuckled.

"It isn't funny!"

"Maybe not from where you're standing."

"Clove!"

"Alright, alright," I pushed myself off the car.

I moved past Luther and stood in the exact center of the parking lot. For a moment, I waited, my ears listening for the familiar pop. When I finally heard it, I spun around to see Young Five doing his best to climb onto Old Five's back.

"Five!" I shouted.

Both Five's paused fighting to glance up at me. I marched right up to them and pulled Young Five off of Old Five. Holding them both at arm's length, I lectured them, "Both of you, stop it! You are acting like children!"

"I'm not a child!" they both said at the same time.

"Really? Because you're acting like it," I glared at them each individually, "You are both choosing to fight with each other when there is a job to be done! We need to get Old Five through the portal so the rest of us can use that briefcase to get back to 2019 and save the world in the process."

Both Fives stared at me. They scratched their neck and exchanged glances. I crossed my arms, just waiting for them to try and argue. They could try their best but I had the upper hand solely because I was the only one out of the three of us in their right mind. To my surprise, they didn't even try.

"Sorry, Clove," they both muttered at the same time.

For a moment, I just stared at them and blinked, "That was not what I expected."

"It doesn't matter," Luther interjected himself right into the middle of the conversation, "We're running out of time. Five, you have to open that portal."

Five glanced at me and for a brief moment we made eye contact. At that moment, I could have sworn, we had an entire conversation. I lifted my eyebrows, telling him he knew exactly what he had to do. With a defeated frown, he nodded.

Young Five spun around to face an empty patch of parking lot. For a moment, it felt like history were repeating itself. The air began to spark with static electricity as Young Five's breathing became more labored. Blue energy swirled around his hands. Slowly, a rip appeared in the sky. It opened into a large circle peering over a familiar dark courtyard. We all watched as Luther, Diego, Alison, and Vanya from 2019 appeared.

"That's spooky," Luther muttered.

Young Five, still concentrated on the portal, forced out, "Into the portal you go, asshole!"

"Fine!" Old Five shouted, "But, give me the math! So I don't end up looking like Tiger Beat over here!"

Young Five once again met my eyes. I knew how much he hated it, and I couldn't tell him how sorry I was to have to put him through this but we had no choice. If this truly was a splintered timeline like I thought it was, it was potentially even more delicate than a fully intact timeline. We ran a much greater risk at splintering it more, something which we could not afford. We had to keep everything as close to the way it was meant to be as we possibly could, and that included Five becoming a teenager again.

"Go to the portal and I'll tell ya!" Young Five exclaimed.

Old Five slowly inched towards the portal. He was a few feet away when he stopped, prompting Young Five to shout, "Closer!"

He scooted a few inches closer, met with the same response. Wincing in frustration, he shouted, "This is close enough! Now tell me the math!"

"It was a typo," Young Five began, "We put the decimal in the wrong spot in our proof of the existence of a bound for the number of limit cycles of planar polynomial vector fields of fixed degree."

Luther and I exchanged glances. He lifted an eyebrow, to which I shrugged. Nearly half a century with Five and I still did not understand a single word he said.

"We wrote down 5.7," Young Five continued, "It should be 57.0."

He lied effortlessly, and my heart almost broke because of it. I felt terrible making one Five lie to the other, but I knew there was no choice. We had enough problems, we didn't need a broken timeline on top of that.

"Son of a bitch!" Old Five shouted, "Dolores always said the decimal didn't look right."

He glanced at me and hesitated. Young Five pulled his blazer down, "Go through the portal, asshole."

"Wait!" Old Five shouted.

"No, this is it!"

"Wait, no there's something I have to say! Something I never got the chance to say before," Old Five turned his attention from Young Five to me, "Clove, I'm sorry."

I was taken aback. For a moment, I wasn't sure how to reply. All I could do was stare at him as he continued, "I'm sorry, I tried everything but it wasn't enough. You died and it was my fault. I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault!" I shouted, "It was the apocalypse, Five, we didn't have medicine! I know you did all you could!"

Old Five blinked and, for half a second, I could have sworn he was blinking back tears. Just as I opened my mouth to gently coax him into the portal, something red caught the corner of my eye. I turned just in time to see 2019 Klaus hurling a fire extinguisher through the portal. I ducked, making the fire extinguisher hit Luther dead in the face.

"Son of a bitch!" I shouted, "Not again!"

The briefcase tumbled to the ground. For a half a second, both Fives stared at the briefcase before slowly looking up at each other. Old Five lunged for the briefcase as Young Five screamed, "No!"

They both grabbed onto the handle at the same time. I jumped back just in time to miss getting hit in the head as they flung it around. Luther was the only one to notice the portal, "Five! It's shrinking!"

I glanced up to see the portal getting smaller and smaller with each passing second. The vision of the 2019 Hargreeves was getting smaller, it wouldn't be long until it was gone all together. We didn't have much time left.

"Shit," I whispered, "I'm sorry about this, Five."

I flung up my hands and a shield appeared between Old Five and Young Five. Jerking my hands to the right, the shield flew across the parking lot, sending Old Five careening into the portal. Young Five was dragged along, as the briefcase was still stuck in my shield while both of them held a tight grip on it. The only thing that kept him from going through the portal was my shield.

With a pop, zap, and a whoosh, the portal vanished along with Old Five. For a moment, all of us just stood there, breathing as if a weight had just been lifted off our shoulders. I fell to lean on a car as Five wiped away the last sweat from his trip through paradox psychosis. He met my eyes and I could see he was slowly coming back to Earth.

He moved forward to inspect the briefcase. Gazing at it, he groaned, moving backwards and running a hand through his hair. All the while, Luther jumped to his feet and pumped his fists triumphantly, "We did it!"

"The briefcase, you idiot," Five grumbled.

Luther and I both gazed at the briefcase to see it had been almost perfectly cut in half. The insides were still sparking, sending our last hope straight out the window. I leaned on the car and slowly sunk to the ground, "All of that? For nothing."

"Our last chance," Five sunk to the ground next to me, "Gone."

Luther couldn't stop staring at the briefcase. I rolled my head on my neck to glance at Five, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he turned to glance at me, "Thanks for keeping your head when I was losing mine."

I gave him a bright smile, "What are best friends for? I'm just glad you're back, I missed you."

"I missed me too."

"What about me?" Luther flung his hands out, "A thank you for preserving your existence would be nice!"

Five rolled his eyes as I frowned, "Technically, I did do all the work."

"You did not!"

Five was the only one who noticed the radio Old Five had left on the fence. He slowly clamored up as the radio announced, "And here they come! The presidential motorcade is moving out!"

"It's happening," Five offered me his hand which I gratefully took, "The President is about to get assassinated."

Five, Luther, and I all hurried to the white picket fence. Five grabbed Old Five's briefcase and used it as a stepping stool while I straight up climbed the fence. The three of us in a perfect line watched as the black car holding the president turned the corner and began to drive down the last street John F. Kennedy would ever see.

"Look, there's Dad," Luther pointed to a man just across the street from us.

He was dressed head to toe in black with a matching umbrella open on one of the sunniest days that month. That moment, that picture of the umbrella man, would forever be a conspiracy theory that only seven people knew the answer to. Luther glanced at Five, "What do we do?"

"Wait a second," I interrupted as my eyes caught sight of a man sprinting across the road, "Is that Diego?"

All of us turned to see the blur of a man sprinting straight towards the umbrella man. Even in his blurry state, it wasn't hard to tell it was Diego. This entire time, he had only cared about saving the president despite doomsday looming around the corner and he wasn't about to stop now.

"Oh shit," Luther muttered.

Five gripped the fence tightly, "Diego."

"He's too far away," I whispered, "I can't make a shield to stop him at this distance."

We all watched as Diego tackled the man he thought to be Reginald Hargreeves. There was nothing we could do, nothing we should have done, as shots rang through the plaza. Millions of screams compiled with the shots, making me wince as the motorcade burnt rubber trying to get away from the plaza as fast as possible.

John F. Kennedy was dead, Diego had tackled the umbrella man, and we still didn't have a briefcase. It was always something, it seemed, and this time it was a little bit of everything. I didn't have time to stop and marvel at the history we had just witnessed.

"We need to go," Five muttered, "If we're caught here, it won't end well."

Luther and I didn't even argue. We all pushed off the fence at the same time, turning and sprinting in the opposite direction. Behind us we left a mourning nation, a dead president, and our last hope in a briefcase cut directly in half.


	27. How To Run From The Mess You Made

Five, Luther, and I had no trouble getting back to Elliot's place. It seemed as if the whole city was in chaos, as it should be. The beloved President had just been shot in broad daylight out of the blue. Nobody expected it to happen, nobody could expect something like that to happen. It felt like the entire city was crying, soon the streets would be turned into canals with their tears.

Nobody even spared a glance at us as we ran back to Elliot's place. I was sure we looked suspicious; a larger than life man and a kid who looked like he just woke up from a coma were enough to raise suspicions. They were so deep in their grief that they didn't even give us a passing glance, allowing us to run into Elliot's place and slam the door behind us without anyone being the wiser.

"For once, I'm grateful Elliot was so superstitious," I muttered as I looked at the newspaper covering every inch of the windows.

Luther spun around to face his brother, "What do we do now, Five? If they saw us on the grassy knoll-"

"It'll be bad, I know," Five straightened his blazer and cracked his neck, "We may have just put ourselves right in the middle of the biggest conspiracy in history."

"Wouldn't be the first time, remember the Romanovs?" I smiled at Five.

He chuckled as Luther glanced between us, "I'm sorry- what?"

"You had to be there."

"We need to find the others and get out of here," Five glanced around the store as if someone could have gotten in, "Whether they saw us or not, we need to be long gone before they start reviewing witness footage."

I nodded, "Five's right, it's only a matter of time before the FBI starts investigating everyone who had a camera today."

"And most likely we're on one."

A knock on the door made us all freeze in place. All three of us connected eyes as we heard the door knob creek. For a moment, all I could think was how fast that was. We had only just left the grassy knoll half an hour ago, and the FBI had already tracked us down?

Five, Luther, and I all spun on the door and got ready to fight. Luther held up his fists while Five and I gathered energy around our hands. Both of our hands glowed blue as the door flung open.

"Whoa!" Diego shouted, "Stand down, it's just us!"

Alison, Vanya, and Klaus followed behind him. Five and I dropped our energy as Luther flung up his hands, "Where were you guys?!"

"Saving the world," Diego winked.

"What?"

"The FBI building," Alison clarified as she locked the door behind them, "Rescuing Vanya."

Vanya gave them a small smile. Five glanced between his two sisters, "What happened?"

"The FBI- they caught me," Vanya wrung her hands together, "They tortured me, they forced me to remember."

My hands flew to my mouth, "Oh, Vanya."

"She went all crazy," Diego flicked on one of Elliot's televisions still left on the stand, "Alison, Klaus, and I rescued her, saving the world in the process."

Five and I exchanged glances. It seemed almost too good to be true, to the point where I didn't believe it for a second. Perhaps Vanya was the cause of one apocalypse, but I didn't not believe for a single moment that we avoided the apocalypse all together. Just us being in this timeline was cause for another.

"What are you doing?" Luther asked as we all circled around to Diego.

He glanced at his brother, "A bunch of FBI guys were just murdered on the same day as the president in the same building we just left."

"Were you spotted?" I asked.

"I don't know, that's what I'm trying to figure out."

The game show Diego had flipped to quickly shut out as an emergency broadcast began to play. The image turned to static for just half a second as the feed switched over to a tired looking newscaster. Based upon his puffy eyes and the dark spots on his sleeves, I guessed he had been crying much like the rest of the nation and had just barely managed to compose himself. In front of him sat a stack of thick black papers neatly arranged and waiting for him to use them.

"Just moments ago, the nation witnessed the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy," the newscaster spoke in a booming, authoritive voice, "Police have already identified the shooter as one Lee Harvey Oswald."

He picked up the first black paper. On the opposite side was the iconic photo of Lee Harvey Oswald's mugshot. That photo, as well as the one of him in handcuffs just before Jack Ruby shot him, would soon become synonymous with the Kennedy Assassination.

"Authorities are asking for help identifying several persons of interest at Dealey Plaza at the time of the assassination," the reporter continued, "The FBI believes they may have been acting in concert with the shooter."

All of us were practically on the edges of our seats. We stood around in total silence, our eyes glued to the television. Diego leaned on the railing going up the stairs while Alison had situated herself right in the middle. Luther stood right next to Vanya while Five and I were between them and the stairs. Klaus had stumbled upstairs just moments ago, seeming quite out of sorts in a way unlike him. I began to worry that he was sick, but my attention was quickly drawn to the newscast.

"Vanya Hargreeves," the reporter held up a mugshot of Vanya taken just that morning, "Wanted in connection with the deaths of several FBI agents inside the federal building at Dealey Plaza."

Vanya sucked in a deep breath and lifted her chin high. I couldn't help but bite my finger in nervous anticipation. If they caught Vanya, they caught all of us, it was already a given. Five absent-mindidly grabbed my arm for reassurance, something which I gladly returned. We held onto each other as the newscaster continued.

"A Cuban exile known only as Diego," the news reporter held up a mugshot of Diego taken the day he was put into the mental hospital.

His short hair was shocking to me, he pulled off the long hair so well I almost forgot he ever had it short. Glancing up at him, I knitted my eyebrows, "You're Cuban?"

"Not that I know of," Diego muttered.

Luther tilted his head, "Is that racist?"

"I feel like that's racist."

"Who recently escaped from the Willowbrook Sanitorium," the reporter dropped Diego's photo and picked up one of Luther standing with Jack Ruby, "A bare knuckle boxer known in the ring as King Kong, with suspected mafia ties."

Luther rolled his eyes as the reporter continued, "Alison Chestnut, a radical responsible for instigating and organizing the recent riots at Stadtlers Lunch Counter."

"Me?" Alison spat, "They're the ones that attacked us and turned a peaceful sit-in into a riot!"

Alison took a deep breath in order to calm herself as Luther and Diego both held up their hands. Five frowned, "We said it before, everything ties back to Kennedy."

"I said it before," Diego crossed his arms and glared at the television, "I didn't think it would come to this."

"And, finally, Klaus. The controversial cult leader and known tax evader," the reporter held up a photograph of a psychedelic painting of Klaus.

In that photo, he had his hands up and he looked more like a saint than the recently sober man I knew. It was almost flattering, though it didn't take much to flatter Klaus. He was naturally photogenic.

"Tax evader?" I mumbled, "Of all things, they choose to focus on tax evader?"

Five shrugged, "It is a federal crime."

"Touché."

"The FBI is also asking the public to be on the lookout for these unidentified children," the reporter held up a photo of Five and me, "Who they believe are being held hostage by the suspected terrorist network."

The photo they took was just after Luther ducked behind the fence at the Grassy Knoll. Five and I were still gripping the fence, and Five was still coming out of paradox psychosis. His mouth was wide open and his eyes even wider as he stared off into space. Next to him, you could only see the top of my head and my face as I stared straight up in the sky as if I were drowning. I winced as I realized they caught the exact moment I fell off the fence.

"Well, they're not wrong," Five kept his voice calm, "I do feel like a hostage most days."

I gently pushed his shoulder and chuckled. Diego frowned, "How come all of you got flattering photos?"

"You call that flattering? I look like I'm drowning, Diego," I retorted.

Alison flung up one of her hands, "They called me a slur on national television."

"They weren't wrong about me, I guess," Vanya shrugged.

"And they're spreading misinformation! I didn't instigate the riots, they did!"

"Alright, everybody calm down," Luther held up his hands in an effort to get everyone's attention, "This is a very bad situation, I'll admit, but for a moment let's just try to look on the bright side."

"And what is that, Luther? How can there possibly be a bright side?" Alison demanded.

"We restored the timeline and we stopped doomsday."

"Wow, look at us, heroes," Diego glared at his brother, "Kennedy is dead, Luther."

Alison flung up her hands, "And now we're the most wanted people in the world!"

"I'll admit, that doesn't look good," Luther added.

"No shit!"

I glanced at Five, who's eyes were glued to the ground. All together, the situation was not good, and I haven't even told them about my splintered timeline theory. Our best bet was to get out of the timeline, but even that would only protect us from so much.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Alison asked, "Everyone in the world is going to be after us."

Klaus came sauntering down the stairs, pushing past Alison, "I've got a yurt just outside of Reykjavik, we could lay low there for a while. The people there are odd, but not bad."

"Hey, numbnuts," Five called Klaus' attention, "We can't run from this, The Commission is going to find us wherever and whenever we are. We just caused one of the biggest time anomalies I have ever seen, they're probably searching for us as we speak."

Diego frowned, "He's right."

Both Five and I turned on Diego. The way he spoke those two words were the exact same way Five and I did. The only way you could get that level of confidence when talking about The Commission is if you had been there.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Cause, I've been there," Diego glanced at his hands nonchalantly, "I've seen all the inner workings."

Five hesitated, "How?"

"I guess I have talent. I got their attention, they scouted me out, and offered me a job full time with benefits. Obviously, I had to refuse."

Diego was acting so smug, I didn't believe him for a second. Crossing my arms and smirking, I asked, "Lila kidnapped you, didn't she?"

"No!" he spat back much too quickly, "Why, are Five and Clove the only ones worthy of Commission attention?"

"No, but I find it hard to believe they would scout out you. The village idiot," Five snorted.

I shook my head as Diego frowned, "Apparently, they think otherwise."

"I hate to break it to you, Diego, but you're just not Commission material," Five shrugged, "You've got an obstinate nature to ya."

"Don't even get me started on the hero complex and ego bigger than the moon," I muttered, earning a glare from Diego.

"Was it you who figured out it was Vanya that caused the end of the world?" Diego addressed both Five and I together, "Was it you who played the Infinite Switchboard like a piano?"

Alison snorted, "You don't even know how to play the piano."

"Shut up, Alison."

"You were on the infinite switchboard?" Five asked.

"Hell yeah! I made that machine my bitch!" Diego got up in Five's face, "Y'all need to recognize, I've got shit going on that y'all don't even know about!"

"I find that incredibly difficult to believe," I muttered.

Alison glared at her brother, "Oh, you've got shit going on, Diego? How about the fact that the entire world now wants us dead?!"

"This isn't helpful," Luther pinched the bridge of his nose, "It's really not."

"I met the resistance in their secret lair!" Diego kept going on, "I went through orientation and passed with flying colors! They wanted to give me a medal, but I turned it down."

"Okay, now you're just going overboard," Five snorted.

Nobody noticed Vanya had wandered away. All of us were too busy arguing with one another to even recognize what was happening in the world around us. We didn't even hear the television switch to a broadcast of Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn in as President on Airforce One with Jackie Kennedy, still covered in her husband's blood, standing right next to him.

"Everybody just calm down," I held up my hands trying to get everyone's attention, "Clearly we have a lot on our plates, but arguing isn't going to do anyone any good."

"Really? Cause it's making me feel a whole lot better!" Diego explained.

Luther, surprisingly being the voice of reason, jumped in, "We need to focus, the Feds are on our ass and will be here any minute."

"They should be thanking us!" Diego flung up his hands, "They should be thanking me! I saved the damn world!"

"Hey!" Alison and Klaus shouted at the same time.

Alison frowned, "You didn't do it alone, Diego!"

"Right, because you were knocked out cold on the ground."

"So were you!"

"See, I knew my place," Klaus shrugged, "I had low expectations of myself going in and I was neither disappointed or surprised."

"You're all ridiculous," Five sighed deeply.

Diego spun on him, "Says the guy who spent the last day playing with himself!"

"That's disgusting," I jumped forward.

"I did not spend the day playing around, Diego," Five spat back, "I was trying to get a briefcase to get us home!"

I flung up my hands, "He went through paradox psychosis, do you know what Five on paradox psychosis is?"

"No-" Diego began.

"Exactly! My day was rough too, Diego!"

"Doesn't matter," Diego waved us both off, "We know who did the real work here."

Alison ran her hand through her hair, "Will you two stop with the dick measuring competition for one second?"

"That's even more disgusting!" I shouted.

"Welcome to my world!

"Everybody shut up!" Luther's booming voice got our attention, "We need to move and we need to move now."

Everyone was silent for half a second. He was right, but where do we go? The whole world was on our ass and ready to kill us- or worse. Not even time travel was safe with the Commission after us.

"He's right," I stepped forward, "We have to go. We can think of the next step later, right now we have to make sure we're there to think of the next step."

"No, we need to box those windows and make our stand here," Diego retorted.

"Against the country with the most atom bombs? That's a stupid idea, Diego."

"And running isn't? At least here, we're in the middle of a densely populated city."

"I'm leaving."

Vanya's small voice got our attention just as much as Luther's booming voice. All eyes suddenly fell on Vanya as Alison jumped up from her spot on the stairs, "What? Why?"

"Something's wrong with Harlan and I have to go back to the farm," Vanya explained, "He needs my help."

Luther stepped forward, "Vanya, the whole world is on our asses, we need to stick together now more than ever."

"That's why I'm telling you," Vanya swallowed roughly, "I've done most things in my life alone- everything in my life, I've done alone. I don't want to do that anymore. I'm telling you because I want my family by my side."

It felt like the very air in the room became softer. I could feel a warmth radiating from every Hargreeves, even those who never gave off any sort of warmth. A small smile crept onto my lips as Vanya continued, "Whatever's going on with Harlan, I think I caused it."

"How?" Diego asked.

"He-he drowned," Vanya stuttered, "I gave him CPR and, whatever I did, it brought him back to life."

We were all silent for just barely a moment. It occurred to me just how much all of us had grown, Vanya in particular. Not that long ago, she had destroyed all life and now she was giving it. She had done such a one-eighty I almost got whiplash.

"You went from destroying the world to giving life," I smiled, "That's pretty badass."

Vanya shot me a smile. Luther held up his hands, "Wait, hang on, how did you do that?"

"I-I don't know," Vanya continued, "Whatever I did, it connected us. Somehow. I can't explain but I know that he needs my help and I need you. I don't want to do this alone, I'm scared and I don't want to be alone."

That was the most genuine I had ever seen Vanya. When we met, she was on so many drugs she forgot she was ever a person in the first place. She was meek, timid, afraid to show any genuineness out of fear that it would be beat out of her just like everything else had. Right there, standing in front of her family, was the real Vanya. The honest-to-God, genuine, real Vanya who loved her family. That was the Vanya that knew herself and was just beginning to care for herself.

Everybody stared at her with completely blank faces. I glanced at everyone waiting for a reaction, any reaction, but nothing ever happened. They were all quiet as Diego approached Vanya, "Look, I'm sorry. We have other priorities right now."

Right then and there, Vanya broke. Any courage she had moments ago vanished and the scared girl she was came running back. Once again, her eyes glassed over as she realized nothing would ever change. No matter how many near death experiences we all went through, nothing would change.

"Diego!" I shouted.

Diego glared at me, "Stay out of this, Clove."

"For once in his life, Diego's right," Five didn't tear his eyes from Vanya, "We need to make our stance right here, right now."

I glared at him, "Five!"

"Clove, the Commission is after us, the whole damn world is after us," Five retorted, "If we don't make a stand right now, we're as good as dead."

I had a thousand and one things I wanted to shout, but none of them came out. All I could do was stand there in anger as Vanya's entire being deflated. She looked to all of her siblings as if hoping for a different response, but nobody would meet her eyes. With each person she looked at, she lost another bit of herself.

"Okay," Vanya sucked in a deep breath, "I guess I'll see you when I see you."

Vanya left, slamming the door behind her. For a moment, everyone was silent, burying their faces in their hands or shifting uncomfortably. Five turned to me, fully knowing everything building up inside of me, "Let it out."

"Other priorities?!" I exclaimed, "You've got pretty jacked priorities if you ask me!"

Diego flung up his hands, "Nobody asked you!"

"Good, cause I would have told you!"

Nobody fought back, or they didn't have the heart too. We were all so wrapped up in ourselves, once again, we didn't notice when Klaus slipped out just moments after Vanya. I fell to sit on the stairs, rubbing my head with my hands.

When I looked back up, Diego and Alison were gone. I could hear the backdoor shutting and I knew exactly where they went. Jumping back up, I crossed my arms and glared at Five. He shifted uncomfortably, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "What?"

I didn't say anything, just continued to stare at him.

"I can't go after her, Clove!" Five exclaimed, "We've got every man with a gun in the country on our ass, not to mention the entire damn Commission!"

I only stared at him. Luther glanced between us awkwardly, taking a step back as if he could escape the situation. Five ran a hand through his hair, "Fine, but, if we die! It's your fault!"

"I'll take it!" I cheered as I followed Five out.

He began to stomp out of the building as if angry I had forced him to do this. Both of us knew all too well that there wasn't a single thing anyone could force him to do. He was as stubborn as a mule, possibly even more stubborn, he only did things when he wanted to do them. Even if he was convinced our best chance was making a stand at Elliot's place, the part of him that wanted to help his sister propelled him forward.

Five and I hurried out to the car parked in the same alley we had all arrived in. It seemed like a lot of things happened in that alley, most things really. In that alley was a car that held Diego and Alison in the back and Klaus and Vanya in the front.

Five flung open the front door, scaring Klaus. He leaned down to peek his head in and smiled at Vanya. I poked my head under him and waved.

"Five, you don't have to-" Vanya began.

"I know," he cut her off, "You owe me one, sis."

I raised my hand, "Technically, you owe me one, I'm the one that convinced the stubborn old man to come."

"We will leave you here, Clove, would you like that?"

"Try it, I dare you."

Five rolled his eyes as the entire car laughed. Turning to gaze at Klaus, Five tilted his head, "Children ride in my back."

Klaus nodded before jumping in the backseat. He practically dove right onto Alison's lap, kicking Diego in the face in the process. They all cursed up a storm as I giggled.

"You first, Clove," Five gestured forward.

I crossed my arms, "How come I have to ride in the middle? I'm older."

"You're also shorter."

"It's barely even an inch, Five!"

"It's two inches and we both know it," Five commented as I slid into the seat.

Five slid in after me and shut the door. I huffed, crossing my arms and sending him a glare that ultimately dissolved into a smile. He smiled back, nudging my shoulder in a playful manner.

Vanya glanced at all of us with the biggest smile I had ever seen her produce. For a moment, just a moment, it was easy to forget about everything that happened. It was easy to forget about the two apocalypses we survived, the people out to kill us, and the trauma we had all endured. In the warmth of that car, it really felt like we were just a happy family. For the first time in my entire life, I not only felt accepted, but I felt loved. I felt like I finally knew where I belonged.

The entire car shook as Luther crawled into the trunk. I could feel the front tires nearly leave the ground as his weight shifted the entire car backwards. We all waited with very tense faces as he shut the door behind him, "Anyone makes a fat joke and I'm out of here."

A round of laughter was followed by sparks coming off of the tailpipe. Vanya peeled out of the alley and we were all on our way. Together.


End file.
